The prospect of Boost Mobile emerging as an actual “fourth national carrier” has collapsed following EchoStar’s multi-billion-dollar spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX. Together, the transactions dismantle Dish/EchoStar’s original 5G greenfield buildout and confirm that the U.S. market will remain dominated by the Big Three—AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile—for the foreseeable future. AT&T deal: Spectrum sale and RAN takeover In late …
Christian Hillabrant named CEO of Crown Castle, promising visionary leadership and driving growth
Crown Castle Inc. has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Christian Hillabrant, 59, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 15, 2025. Hillabrant is also expected to join the Company’s Board at that time. P. Robert Bartolo, Chair of the Crown Castle Board of Directors, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Chris as Crown Castle’s next CEO. Chris is a …
Crown Castle’s Missouri cell tower outage tied to theft, not terrorism
Two individuals accused of damaging a Kansas City, Missouri cell tower on Monday have been charged with targeting critical infrastructure — but court documents suggest the alleged theft from a 110-foot monopole site on Prospect Ave., owned by Crown Castle, was driven by theft rather than terrorism. Missouri state law identifies communications networks and facilities as critical infrastructure and includes enhanced penalties …
Starting July 1, no more rogue 1099 crews on Verizon sites—NATE reporting agreement takes effect
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 …
Wireless Estimator’s matrix pricing exposé shatters LinkedIn norms—Hits top 0.1% with 164K Impressions
This month, coverage of carrier matrix pricing, which has proven unsustainable for contractors, has achieved tens of thousands of views on Wireless Estimator and has exploded on LinkedIn, driven by three back-to-back industry articles that have garnered attention at every level, from C-suite executives to tower technicians, with one article alone having over 164,000 impressions. A viral article with these …
Animated outrage: NATE unmasks carriers’ unfair pricing and 1099 labor tactics in a whiteboard video
] During their May 6–7 Congressional Fly-In event in Washington, D.C., NATE members will showcase a whiteboard animation presented today, highlighting the critical issues that are forcing many contractors out of business. They will personally deliver a petition for Fairness and Sustainability in Wireless Infrastructure Contracting to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. [enlarge image] NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today unveiled …
Crown Castle ousts CEO Steven Moskowitz amid strategic overhaul and $8.4 billion fiber and DAS asset sale
Crown Castle Inc. shares slipped almost 4% yesterday following the abrupt termination of CEO Steven Moskowitz earlier this week. He held the top job for less than a year. The decision surprised the industry as the wireless infrastructure giant underwent a major strategic shift, including the $8.5 billion divestiture of its small cells and fiber solutions businesses. The company did …
DigitalBridge continues to face market woes as stock hits new lows and European director departs
In late 2021, when it was announced that Matt Evans was hired as Digital Bridge Group, Inc.’s Managing Director Head of Europe, he said, “I am excited to be joining the DigitalBridge team at such a pivotal time.” According to Bloomberg, he is leaving DigitalBridge at a pivotal time as the company tries to shore up its flagging stock value. …
Back to basics: Crown Castle reverts to core tower strategy after shedding fiber and small cells assets for $8.5 billion
Crown Castle Inc. has finalized a definitive agreement to sell its Fiber segment, marking a strategic shift to focus on its core tower business. The transaction, valued at $8.5 billion, involves EQT Active Core Infrastructure fund acquiring Crown Castle’s small cells business, while Zayo Group Holdings Inc. will take over the fiber solutions business. The deal is expected to close …
Insider theft: Telecom contractor’s employee charged with stealing hundreds of T-Mobile’s cell tower batteries
A Phoenix, Arizona man faces 27 felony charges for allegedly stealing backup batteries used in cell towers across the area, threatening emergency communications during power outages. According to an indictment, Andres Samuel Contreras, 29, is accused of stealing over 900 backup batteries from 66 T-Mobile cell tower sites between August 2024 and February 2025, resulting in over $330,000 in damages. …
Aggressive contractor debt collection and a $325M appeal: The latest in the Crown Castle vs. Dish feud
Dish Network has aggressively pursued alleged debts from contractors involved in its dispute with Crown Castle, engaging a third-party debt collection firm rather than initiating litigation. Alternately, Dish could agree that the contractors were not at fault in developing Dish sites within Crown Castle compounds that extended Dish’s lease area because they explicitly followed the construction plans provided. At the same …
Mount Wilson towers remain intact as FCC reports minimal communication disruptions from deadly LA fires
Yesterday, the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County threatened Mount Wilson, which houses the transmitting towers of nearly every Los Angeles TV station, many of its FM radio stations, and other critical communications facilities in Southern California. At one point, the fire advanced quickly to the bottom of some structures, and it appeared that the broadcast compounds would be sheared …
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 …
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 …
