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 …
Industry questions why a co-worker wasn’t on site when a MasTec tech died after falling from a 500-foot tower
UPDATE: November 11, 2024 – Services have been set for James Belecher, the 38-year-old tower technician supervisor who died on a Crown Castle site while working for MasTec Network Solutions. A tower technician is dead today after having fallen from a guyed tower, according to Trinity County Texas Sheriff Woody Wallace. According to a press statement, the Trinity County Sheriff’s …
A Phoenix Rising: Catherine Piche soars back to Crown Castle in previous COO role as Kavanaugh retires
Crown Castle Inc. has announced the upcoming retirement of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer–Towers, Michael J. Kavanagh, effective October 28, 2024. Kavanagh, who has held various leadership roles during his 14-year tenure, will remain in an advisory capacity through the end of the year. Catherine Piche will take over as EVP and COO–Towers. Piche, who previously served as …
Lawsuit alleges Crown Castle tower skirts historic site rules, delays Las Vegas Huntridge Theater restoration
A lawsuit filed on September 20, 2024, in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, by Brass Monkey, LLC, the owner of the 80-year-old Huntridge Theater, against Crown Castle Inc. and AT&T Wireless Services threatens to delay the long-anticipated renovation of the historic landmark in downtown Las Vegas. The lawsuit alleges that a cell tower at the back …
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 …
NATE, Crown Castle and JHC Construction host California Congressman Obernolte on a site visit
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Crown Castle and JHC Construction LLC facilitated an opportunity for Congressman Jay Obernolte to conduct a communications tower site visit in the 23rd Congressional District of California. During the site visit, Congressman Obernolte toured a Crown Castle communications tower and compound with event participants to learn about the work that is …
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 …
Dish adds another cut to the possibility of the contracting industry’s ‘death by a thousand cuts’
In a recent legal battle, Dish Wireless Inc. emerged victorious against Crown Castle USA Inc., with a Denver jury ruling on April 11, 2024, that Dish did not violate the 30-year master lease agreement between the two companies. The dispute centered around Dish’s use of an additional three feet of space on cell tower sites, which Crown Castle claimed should …
Florida contractor’s owner succumbs from a 200-foot fall off a Crown Castle cell tower in North Carolina
A 52-year-old owner of a Kissimmee, Florida, contracting company that specialized in structural reinforcements and welding passed away on Monday when he fell from a Crown Castle tower in Shelby, North Carolina. Wireless Estimator has identified the deceased as Jose Ramiro Covarrubias. He fell from a 300-foot self-supporting tower around noon. The circumstances leading to his fall are still under …
Crown Castle announces significant job cuts amid industry uncertainty
Crown Castle USA Inc. has announced it will cut 10% of its workforce and close certain offices as part of a broader effort to reduce costs and refocus its capital expenditures. The telecommunications infrastructure company detailed these measures while outlining its strategic review and plans for the future. Capital Expenditure Reductions Crown Castle stated it would lower its capital expenditures …
Five fiber cuts near Florida’s Lion Country Safari resulted in a lawsuit filed by Crown Castle
Near the renowned Lion Country Safari in South Florida, Crown Castle Fiber LLC (Crown Castle) has laid miles of crucial fiber optic cables along the bustling State Road 80. A lawsuit recently filed in the Southern District of Florida reveals a disturbing pattern — underground utility contractor DP Development, LLC (DPD) has not only caused significant damage but has done …
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 …
Believing he’s a T-Mobile tech, Florida man climbs to their sector, causing up to $500K in damage
In an event that seems to increase in frequency throughout America, on Wednesday in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, Florida, 38-year-old Richard Smith was arrested after climbing a cell tower without safety gear, causing extensive damage and a significant service outage. The incident started between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. when Smith, who believed he was a T-Mobile worker, embarked on …
Over 3 feet, Dish and Crown Castle’s MLA marriage is on the rocks and a Denver trial will decide its fate
When Dish Wireless announced its infrastructure partnership with Crown Castle to lease space on up to 20,000 towers in 2020, it was an engagement arranged by Dish’s EVP of network development, Dave Mayo, that married the two companies to a 30-year commitment. However, marriage vows aren’t always everlasting, and Crown Castle has decided to move on – into a Denver …
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 …
Crown Castle co-founder Miller says the company deserves better and needs ‘people who live and breathe towers’
Ted B. Miller, co-founder of Crown Castle Inc. and his investment vehicle Boots Capital Management, LLC, issued an open letter yesterday to the Crown Castle Board of Directors, the company’s employees, and its shareholders. Miller said he believes Crown Castle’s stock can be worth at least $150 in the next 18 months if the board takes immediate action to restore …
Four faux T-Mobile contractors arrested after caught in the act of ripping off ‘3G’ cables
A brazen communications cable theft at a West Boylston, Massachusetts, cell tower on Friday afternoon led to the arrest of four New York men accused of posing as subcontractors to steal the cables for their scrap value. The incident, which highlights a troubling trend of cell tower transmission line thefts across New England, unfolded when local police responded to an …
