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T-Mobile to launch T-Satellite: First U.S. satellite-to-phone service with SpaceX’s Starlink

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

T-Mobile will officially launch its T-Satellite service on July 23, marking a significant shift in how mobile carriers deliver connectivity to remote areas that were previously unreachable by terrestrial towers. Built in partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, the new system will allow users to send and receive messages from more than 500,000 square miles of U.S. territory that previously …

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Tilson aims to sell its business at a bankruptcy fire sale auction, leaving creditors on the hook

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Tilson Technology Management, once confident in its ability to emerge stronger from its recent financial struggles, has made a dramatic shift in course. After announcing a restructuring bankruptcy plan just weeks ago, the company has now decided to sell all of its assets, marking a stark contrast to the optimistic outlook shared in its May 29, 2025, announcement that the …

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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr selects VIKOR headquarters in Sioux Falls to kick off “Build America” campaign

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

VIKOR, a national leader in wireless and broadband infrastructure services, is proud to announce that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr will launch his nationwide “Build America” infrastructure campaign live at VIKOR’s Headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Wednesday, July 2, at 11:30 a.m. CT. This event marks the kickoff of the FCC’s renewed focus on accelerating deployment of critical communications infrastructure across the country, …

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FCC warns China Mobile USA over failure to comply with U.S. security probe with high daily fines proposed

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

In a significant escalation of regulatory pressure, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Citation and Order to China Mobile International (USA) Inc., signaling potential fines if the telecom giant does not comply with a long-running investigation into its U.S. operations The FCC’s enforcement action, detailed in document DA 25‑512, stems from a probing inquiry launched in November 2022. Since …

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Trusty’s FCC confirmation signals pro-deployment shift for wireless infrastructure contractors

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

UPDATE – The U.S. Senate confirmed Olivia Trusty for a full five-year term as commissioner of the FCC this afternoon in a 53–45 vote. The tally matched the Senate’s vote the night before, which approved Trusty to serve the remaining days of former Chair Jessica Rosenworcel’s term, ending June 30. Trusty was nominated for both the short-term appointment and the full term by …

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NWSA and NATE announce strategic transfer of practical exam program to support workforce development

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) and NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association jointly announced today the strategic transfer of the NWSA Telecommunications Tower Technician (TTT) Practical Exam Program to NATE. Originally developed by industry subject matter experts, the TTT Practical Exam Program was a key component of NWSA’s certification process, designed to assess the hands-on competencies of tower technicians. …

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A crisis unresolved: Man takes his life after jumping from American University’s tower in Washington, D.C.

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

A harrowing three-day standoff at American University’s campus ended in tragedy this morning when an unidentified man experiencing a mental health crisis jumped from the 321-foot WAMU-FM radio tower in Washington, D.C., police say. Authorities have opened a death investigation and ruled the incident a suicide. D.C. police first received reports around 3 p.m. Tuesday of an individual scaling the …

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Microburst, not tornado, toppled KTXS 199-foot broadcast tower in Texas, NWS Confirms

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that the dramatic collapse of KTXS-TV’s 199-foot broadcast tower during storms on June 8 in Abilene, TX, was caused by a microburst, not a tornado, putting to rest speculation surrounding the severe weather event. According to the official NWS damage survey released Wednesday, the microburst struck northern Abilene at approximately 11:09 p.m. on …

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NWSA catches cheaters using impostors for coveted TTT-1 tower technician certification exams

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Several small but damaging black market schemes that exploit language barriers and circumvent certification requirements in the wireless infrastructure industry have been exposed. These schemes include producing fake safety training certificates and involve imposter test-takers attempting to take NWSA exams as proxies for undeserving candidates, according to the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA). One such promoter, Eliza Akhmedova of Boca …

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‘Tough Tower’ climbers shine in 2025 Ohio showdown with Verità Telecommunications capturing the crown

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

The 2025 Tough Tower competition brought together seven teams of elite tower climbers from across the country last weekend in North Jackson, OH, each aiming to take the top spot—and a significant cash prize—in an event focused on safety, skills, and careers in the telecommunications industry. Preliminary challenges took place on June 5, with semifinal and final rounds on June …

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American Tower Florida site might have been targeted in suspected bomb plot over employment fallout

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Brevard County, Florida, authorities are investigating a suspected pipe bomb discovered during a search of a suspicious vehicle on Friday near a communications tower in Mims. The incident prompted a road closure and a large response from local agencies. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said the situation began when a deputy responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked near …

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Tech-neutral in name only? Fiber retains structural edge under NTIA’s new BEAD policy

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) June 6, 2025, BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice reframes the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program with a stated goal of “technology neutrality.” But a close read reveals that while the language has changed, the outcome is likely to remain fiber-centric. The notice formally eliminates the Biden-era “fiber preference” and other regulatory requirements …

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Senator Cruz’s spectrum auction revival push aims to inject up to $88 billion into the U.S. economy

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authority to conduct spectrum auctions—central to deploying next-generation wireless networks—has expired. But a significant move by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has energized efforts to reauthorize that authority and reinvigorate the U.S. spectrum pipeline. His proposal, included in the recently released budget reconciliation text, is now gaining powerful industry backing. Sen. …

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Commissioner Simington pulls the plug, FCC is left without power

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Nathan Simington announced today that he will resign on Friday, concluding a tenure that began with his appointment by President Donald Trump in December 2020. Simington’s departure comes amid a period of significant transition within the FCC, as Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks also plans to step down this Friday. In a statement, Simington expressed gratitude for …

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Charlie Ergen’s high-stakes bluff: EchoStar’s $326 Million poker game with the FCC

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

EchoStar’s latest turmoil has all the markings of a high-stakes poker game – and Charlie Ergen is betting big. The satellite mogul’s company stunned markets by skipping a $326 million interest payment due on May 30, 2025, citing “uncertainty” caused by an aggressive FCC review of its 5G spectrum licenses, casting a dark shadow over wireless contractor workflows. This rare move …

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Top tower broker Tom Engel leaves behind decades of deals—and deep respect from a grateful industry

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Well-known and highly respected communications tower broker Tom Engel, 80, of Puyallup, WA, passed away on May 28, 2025, leaving behind his loving wife Shana, and their son, Derrick, and years of fond memories from his co-founder partner Jody McCoy of Strategic Tower Advisors, tower owners and others who worked with him since 1972 in the media business. According to …

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EchoStar’s missed $326 million payment casts a dark shadow over wireless contractor workflows

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

EchoStar Corporation’s recent decision to skip a $326 million interest payment on its 10.75% senior spectrum-secured notes due 2029 has introduced significant uncertainty into its 5G cell tower buildout program. This move, triggered by an ongoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation into EchoStar’s compliance with 5G deployment obligations in the 2 GHz spectrum band, could have several implications for the …

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Bankruptcy and back pay: Tilson Chapter 11 sparks WARN Act class action lawsuit

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Two former employees of Tilson Technology Management, Inc. filed a class‐action adversary complaint in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, accusing the debtor of willfully violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The complaint was filed yesterday, a day after Tilson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Plaintiffs Jeffrey Hals of Arizona and Charles Mamala Jr. …

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Network builder Tilson Technology hits Delaware court for Chapter 11 bankruptcy shield after revenue collapse

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Tilson Technology Management, Inc. and its affiliates — Tilson Middle Street Holdings, LLC and Boundless Broadband, LLC — have voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The move comes on the heels of a sudden contract cancellation by the company’s largest client, Gigapower, which has left Tilson scrambling to restructure …

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Starting July 1, no more rogue 1099 crews on Verizon sites—NATE reporting agreement takes effect

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

On July 1, 2025, a landmark agreement between Verizon and NATE, the Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, will provide contractors with an opportunity to report to Verizon those who may be performing construction services for the carrier without their knowledge and with improper 1099 status. This monitoring promises to reshape the field for many hundreds of subcontractors. After years of contractor complaints …