Steven O. Vondran, CEO of American Tower Corporation—one of the world’s largest owners of communications infrastructure—has accepted a director position on Ameren Corp’s board, effective January 1, 2025. While Ameren praised Vondran’s leadership and expertise in real estate, a closer look raises intriguing questions. Could Vondran’s interest in Ameren be tied to the company’s portfolio of communications towers—assets currently marketed …
Services set for Texas tower tech James Belcher as OSHA continues its investigation
Funeral services have been announced for James Robert Belcher of Magnolia, Texas, who passed away on November 4, 2024, after a work site incident in Grovetown, Texas. Belcher, 38, was a tower technician supervisor employed by MasTec Network Solutions. According to Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace, his office received a call for a welfare check on November 5 when Belcher …
American Tower exits India market in $2.3 billion deal as it cuts its global portfolio by one third
American Tower Corporation (ATC) has officially exited the Indian telecom tower market, completing a $2.2 billion deal with a Brookfield-led consortium. This marks a significant shift in India’s telecommunications landscape. The consortium, which includes Brookfield Asset Management, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and GIC, has acquired approximately 76,000 telecom towers from American Tower. The buyer, Data Infrastructure Trust …
American Tower’s CEO gets $20 million annually, and employees are paid $60K, but is it accurate?
American Tower’s CEO has the industry’s highest salary at $19,709,245, while its employees—compared to other public companies in the U.S. such as MasTec, Crown Castle, and SBA Communications—receive the lowest salary at $59,881. Conversely, a DigitalBridge employee’s median annual salary is $259,500, while its CEO’s salary is the lowest in the executive group, with $7,270,094. (SEC-required company profiles of CEO …
Court says workers’ compensation law provides SAC with immunity from tower site electrocution lawsuit
The Eleventh Circuit, a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, on Wednesday, declined to renew a lawsuit against SAC Wireless LLC by a crane oiler who was electrocuted and seriously injured while helping remove a crane from an American Tower site in Georgia. The court ruled that the worker was an employee …
Verizon said to be readying a sale of up to 6,000 of its cell towers
New York-based Verizon is reportedly exploring options to sell thousands of its mobile network towers in the US, reported Bloomberg today. According to sources familiar with the matter, the telecom giant has hired advisers to gauge interest from potential buyers for a package of roughly 5,000 to 6,000 towers. This move could potentially bring in more than $3 billion; though …
American Tower is gaveled a $4 million award: Court says yes, tenant’s wallet says no
In a recent decision from the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney granted a motion for default judgment in favor of American Tower Corp. against TPT SpeedConnect LLC (TPT), a subsidiary of TPT Global Tech, Inc (TPTG). The court’s ruling, issued on June 11, 2024, orders TPT to pay a sum of almost …
Industry leaders at Connect X foresee massive growth for indoor 5G networks
The wireless industry is abuzz with anticipation for the potential of bringing 5G technology indoors. This technology promises faster and more reliable connections, lower latency, and the ability to connect a massive number of devices simultaneously. During the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) View From the Top session on Thursday at Connect X, moderated by Patrick Halley, President and CEO of …
NYC Comptroller Lander leverages pension fund clout for tower worker safety reporting, but is it necessary?
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, representing the five New York City pension funds, has successfully secured agreements with leading telecommunications infrastructure firms—SBA Communications Corporation (SBA), American Tower Corporation (American Tower), and Crown Castle—to improve their reporting on worker safety at communication tower sites. Lander emphasized the difficult conditions faced by tower workers, noting, “From dizzying heights to challenging …
Crown Castle’s $325 million cabinet door opening lease lawsuit against Dish is closed by a Denver jury’s verdict
A jury last Thursday found Crown Castle USA Inc. failed to prove Dish Wireless Inc. violated the parties’ 30-year master lease agreement (MLA) by taking up three extra feet of space on cell tower sites without paying an additional rent of approximately $8 million per year. Crown Castle said Dish owed $200 more monthly rent for approximately 3,339 sites. With …
Crown Castle snags Steven Moskowitz as its CEO, the second former American Tower executive onboarded for growth
Crown Castle Inc., a leading communications tower company, announced a significant leadership change that is effective today. Steven J. Moskowitz will take on the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer and join the company’s Board of Directors. This appointment concludes an extensive search led by the CEO Search Committee and the Board and facilitated by global executive search firm …
WTB grants exemption to Vertical Bridge and Drake Services for quarterly inspection requirements
The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday granted Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, and Drake Services, Inc., an exemption from the mandatory quarterly inspections of antenna structure lighting systems stipulated under existing regulations (see below). The exemption specifically pertains to the requirements under 47 CFR § 17.47(b), which mandates owners of antenna structures to conduct …
Former T-Mobile tech president Neville Ray elected to American Tower’s board of directors
American Tower Corporation announced that its Board of Directors had elected Neville R. Ray as a director. Ray most recently served as T-Mobile’s President of Technology until 2023. He joined T-Mobile (then VoiceStream) in April 2000, and from December 2010 to November 2019, served as its Chief Technology Officer. Prior to that, Ray served as Network Vice President for Pacific …
New ADA lawsuit tells American Tower, T-Mobile and AT&T to relocate their tower or reconfigure their network with beamforming antennas
After American Tower, AT&T, and T-Mobile did not respond by February 1, 2024, to Duluth, Minnesota resident Marcia Haller’s request to mitigate RF levels that continued to make her ill at her home (as detailed on February 29, 2024, by Wireless Estimator), and caused 51 strokes, her attorneys, being paid by the Children’s Health Defense’s Electromagnetic Radiator & Wireless program, filed …
Deputies bust dad on his bring your son to work day at tower site; multi-site copper thief gets probation
Two North Carolina men, a father and son team, are facing criminal charges after being accused of stealing transmission lines from a cell site tower in eastern Richmond County for their copper value. According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) press statement released on March 4, 2024, deputies responded to a call about the cutting and theft of copper …
Having to sleep in a Faraday cage, Minnesota couple threatens ATC, T-Mobile and AT&T with a lawsuit
In 2008, Marcia and Jason Haller moved into their newly constructed home with an oversized free-standing garage in a peaceful setting in a rural area just north of Duluth, Minnesota. Within months, Minnesota Tower, Inc. erected a 295-foot guyed tower on leased land approximately 1,300 feet from Haller’s home, which was approved for construction by the FCC in 2007. Although …
Former American Tower CFO Bradley Singer will now guide his former arch-competitor, Crown Castle
When American Tower Corporation (ATC) CFO Bradley Singer left the Boston-based company in 2008 for his new role as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Discovery Communications, LLC, he reflected upon his eight years at the company, stating,” I am gratified with what we have achieved together, and I believe that American Tower’s strategic and financial position and talented …
Crown Castle CEO Jay Brown announces retirement amid activist investor pressure to resign
Communications infrastructure provider Crown Castle Inc. is undergoing a significant leadership change as CEO Jay Brown has decided to retire, effective January 16, 2024. The announcement comes amidst pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, which has been advocating for leadership changes and strategic improvements at the company. Brown’s departure follows a series of scathing critiques from Elliott, known for its …
Tom Stoner, American Tower Corp. co-founder with Steve Dodge passes
Memorial services are being planned for Thomas “Tom” Stoner, 88, who died on October 19, 2023. The well-respected serial entrepreneur and philanthropist built Stoner Broadcasting and played a vital role in creating American Radio Systems (ARS) in 1993 with the late Steve Dodge. ARS began with 16 stations in seven markets. They took the opportunity afforded by the passage of …
American Tower names Steven Vondran to succeed Thomas Bartlett as President and CEO
American Tower Corporation has announced that Tom Bartlett will retire as President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of the Board of Directors, effective February 1, 2024. The company said in a statement that its Board of Directors, having undertaken a deliberate and thorough succession planning process over the last several years, has named Steve Vondran to succeed Bartlett as President …
