NTCH, Inc. and several of its affiliates are pursuing a high-stakes lawsuit against T-Mobile USA, Inc. in King County Superior Court in Washington, accusing the wireless carrier of breaching a contractual commitment that was supposed to provide the tower builder with at least 100 new development opportunities under a Build to Suit Master Services Agreement (MSA) signed in 2015. NTCH …
Contractor ASG sued in federal court over WARN Act violations; execs named in New Jersey complaint
Just one week after broadband infrastructure company Allstate Sales Group, Inc. (ASG) abruptly froze operations and delayed paychecks, leaving an estimated 500 workers jobless, a federal class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The complaint, brought by former ASG Vice President of Electrical Sales Joseph Horling on behalf of himself …
Tilson’s $22 million sale to ITG Communications underscores the deep discount of a distressed auction
Wireless Estimator’s early presumption that Tilson would ultimately sell at a “fire sale” price following its bankruptcy has proven correct. Despite the company’s July balance sheet superficially showing more than $361 million in assets, Tilson announced in a press release Friday that it had selected an offer from ITG Communications, LLC for approximately $22 million as the highest and best …
Radio Activo wins order to stop American Tower from tearing down Nevada broadcast site; power shutoff stands for now
A federal judge in Nevada granted Radio Activo Broadcasting LLC a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking American Towers LLC and Insite Towers, LLC from decommissioning, dismantling, or removing the 190-foot self-supporting tower that carries the broadcaster’s signal, but declined to require American Tower to restore electrical service to the site immediately. American Tower provides power for the site, constructed around …
‘Tracking device’ ruling: Court upholds $92M fine; T-Mobile and Sprint’s pay-first move ends jury bid
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld $92 million in Federal Communications Commission forfeitures against T-Mobile and Sprint for failing to safeguard customer location data. Writing for a unanimous court, Judge Florence Y. Pan, joined by Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Brad Garcia, rejected the carriers’ bid to vacate penalties tied to 2018–2019 …
Cell tower legal showdown: Developers score wins in two out of three federal siting cases
Three separate rulings in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Florida over the past week have reshaped the legal landscape for wireless infrastructure deployment on the East Coast. From outright victories for developers to partial wins for a local government, the decisions highlight both the legal guardrails of the federal Telecommunications Act (TCA) and the consequences of procedural missteps by municipalities. Rapidan, …
Issa Asad, Q Link founder, sentenced to five years for largest criminal FCC fraud in U.S. history
In a stunning fall from grace, Issa Asad, the 51-year-old founder and CEO of Q Link Wireless, was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to orchestrating one of the largest fraud schemes ever prosecuted involving a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program. The Florida-based telecom executive, whose company built its business under the FCC’s Lifeline …
Gigapower faces $200 Million lawsuit from Tilson over breach of fiber build deal in Arizona and Nevada
Tilson Technology Management, a national network development and telecom infrastructure services firm, has filed a lawsuit against Gigapower, the AT&T–BlackRock-backed fiber joint venture, seeking over $200 million in damages tied to a large-scale broadband buildout in Nevada and Arizona. The complaint, filed this week, alleges that Gigapower breached its contract with Tilson and refused to pay for work already completed. …
Tilson aims to sell its business at a bankruptcy fire sale auction, leaving creditors on the hook
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 …
Bankruptcy and back pay: Tilson Chapter 11 sparks WARN Act class action lawsuit
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. …
Network builder Tilson Technology hits Delaware court for Chapter 11 bankruptcy shield after revenue collapse
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 …
Just months after announcing its formation, Trueline’s collapse sparks class-action lawsuit by laid-off workers
Trueline Infrastructure Solutions, a broadband construction firm backed by private equity giant Grain Management, abruptly shut down last week, laying off nearly all its 500 employees on Friday. The sudden closure shocked employees, prompting a class-action lawsuit against Trueline for allegedly violating federal labor laws. In its reporting, Fierce Network stated that Trueline emailed its staff on Friday to inform them that the …
Verizon defeats Pennsylvania class action over lead cables—Ruling could doom similar lawsuit in New Jersey
On Friday, a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit against Verizon Communications Inc., ruling that the plaintiff, former utility pole worker Mark Tiger, lacked standing to sue in federal court. The lawsuit alleged that Verizon’s failure to properly dispose of lead-sheathed telecommunications cables endangered utility pole workers who were regularly exposed to them. View the court’s …
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 …
Supreme Court decision forces TikTok sale to prevent U.S. ban by January 19; Trump delays it going dark
UPDATE: President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday, January 21, aimed at keeping TikTok operational in the United States while he attempts to broker a deal that could bypass legislative efforts mandating the app sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The order temporarily halted a nationwide ban for 75 days that would force TikTok to divest from …
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 …
AT&T to reel in 107,000 pounds of lead cables from Lake Tahoe
AT&T has agreed to remove approximately 107,000 pounds of lead cables that have been submerged in Lake Tahoe for decades as part of a settlement announced last week. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) in 2021, which claimed that the cables were leaching toxic lead into the lake, posing risks to the environment …
Beyond Telecom: Goodman Networks’ defrocked Frinzi reinvents himself in the arms trade
James Frinzi’s journey through the business world, from lobbying for the defense minister of Indonesia and officials in Qatar, has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, marked by his rapid ascent as CEO of Goodman Networks, allegations of fraud, embezzlement, and corporate misconduct, and a dramatic downfall that stripped him of his ill-gained assets and pushed him to explore …
Luxury lifestyles, no bars: America’s wealthiest town in Texas blocks cell tower, Vertical Bridge lawsuit alleges
If you reside in Westlake, Texas, you’re part of the wealthiest community in the state, where the average home sells for nearly $5 million, and the mean household income soars to $508,000. In this exclusive enclave, dandelions dare not blemish the meticulously manicured lawns; luxury is the norm. However, even in a town that Forbes once named the most affluent …
T-Mobile’s overtime calculation practices challenged in class action lawsuit initiated by Florida technician
T-Mobile USA, Inc., is facing a collective action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations. The lawsuit, initiated by plaintiff Olvin Gomez from Palm Beach County, Florida, represents himself and similarly situated employees and claims that T-Mobile failed to calculate and pay the correct overtime rates …