As 2025 comes to a close, we want to thank our readers, partners, and friends across the wireless infrastructure community for being part of the Wireless Estimator family. This time of year is an opportunity to reflect, recharge, and enjoy time with family and loved ones. While many industry websites slow or pause publishing during the holidays, this season also …
SUCCESS for BEAD Act could open new construction and training opportunities beyond fiber deployment
While the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program has primarily been viewed as a fiber-centric initiative, newly introduced legislation could significantly expand opportunities for wireless infrastructure and construction firms once initial deployment obligations are met. By allowing states to redirect unspent BEAD funds toward network resilience, mobile infrastructure, public safety systems, and workforce development, the SUCCESS for BEAD Act …
Why Sen. Luján forced the FCC’s “Independence” question — and why Carr let it end with a website change
The most contentious moment in this week’s Senate oversight hearing of Federal Communications Commission leadership had nothing to do with spectrum auctions, broadband deployment, or media ownership. Instead, it revolved around a single word that has defined the agency for nearly a century: independent. By the end of the exchange, that word had disappeared from the FCC’s website (View Video …
Built for speed and performance: ConcealFab launches Side Enclosures for faster small cell rollouts
Valmont Telecom, the wireless infrastructure business of Valmont Industries, has introduced the ConcealFab Side Enclosure portfolio, a new family of RF-transparent, pole-mounted outdoor cabinets engineered to support the rapid expansion of 5G small cells, fiber networks, and private LTE/5G systems across North America. As U.S. operators deploy an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 small cells annually, and municipalities continue to tighten …
American Tower presses court for early judgment regarding DISH’s tower rent obligations
American Tower has escalated its legal battle with DISH Wireless, asking a federal judge to rule as a matter of law that DISH cannot walk away from billions of dollars in tower lease obligations by claiming its business strategy collapsed. In a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings filed December 12, American Tower and its affiliates—SpectraSite Communications and InSite Wireless …
Inside the $300 million contracting scandal—apparently linked to a major U.S. carrier—that brought down ASG
Indictment reveals years of bribery, forged invoices, shell companies, and concealed payments inside a telecom contracting giant When the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment against Allstate Sales Group’s (ASG) CEO Anthony Tepedino last week, the wireless infrastructure industry received its clearest—and most troubling—view yet into the corruption that led to the company’s dramatic …
Skyline Tower Painting, president plead guilty and fined $50K after lead paint chips fall on neighborhoods
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has announced that Skyline Tower Painting, Inc. of Colorado and its President, Christopher Mecklem, 43, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, each pleaded guilty to criminal violations of Maryland’s environmental laws for the illegal dispersal and disposal of lead-containing paint in Baltimore City in June 2022. The investigation was led by the Attorney General’s Environmental and Natural …
FCC presses Supreme Court to combine Verizon and AT&T fights over massive fines that vacate jury trials
The Federal Communications Commission is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Verizon’s challenge to a $46.9 million location-privacy fine together with a parallel case involving AT&T’s vacated $57 million penalty, saying the Court should resolve—once and for all—whether the agency may impose large monetary forfeitures without offering companies a jury trial. The government told the justices that the two …
NATE announces 2026 Board election results; Strong member turnout reflects industry crossroads
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced the official results of its 2026 Board of Directors election, marking one of the strongest principal-contractor participation rates in recent history. The Association’s independent accounting firm, VRS, tabulated and certified all ballots cast, confirming the election of five candidates who will assume their posts in February 2026. Three incumbents, Victor Drouin, Mike Young, …
Gin pole failure claims a tech’s life on an Atlantic City tower, the 2nd fatality this week, the 6th this year
A 44-year-old tower technician died late yesterday afternoon in Atlantic City, N.J., after a gin pole reportedly failed while a crew was removing an abandoned FM pylon from atop a 347-foot self-supporting tower located off Murray Avenue, near the city’s water-treatment plant. Individuals familiar with the incident, who requested anonymity and declined to identify the technician or his employer pending …
South Carolina tower tech dies after 100-foot fall in Wisconsin, marking troubling fifth industry fatality of 2025
On Monday, December 1, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a tower technician fell from a cell tower and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the Douglas County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office in a brief statement. Sheriff Matt Izzard said his agency received a report that a male worker had fallen roughly 100 feet from a structure located off Industrial Park Road …
NATE and AT&T reach a landmark deal — What it means for the tower-contracting industry
In a move that could rewrite the business model for how America’s wireless infrastructure gets built and maintained, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and AT&T recently reached an agreement to overhaul longstanding contracting practices. According to NATE, the deal includes fundamental changes the association expects will “advance material aspects of the tower construction ecosystem,” including phasing out the “turf …
Crown Castle follows American Tower’s lead, suing DISH for attempting to walk away from its MSA
Crown Castle has become the second major tower operator to sue DISH Wireless after the carrier notified infrastructure partners of its intent to shed large portions of its wireless business through spectrum-sale transactions. Just weeks after American Tower filed suit demanding that DISH honor its long-term lease commitments despite the pending spectrum sale, Crown Castle has taken the same position, …
DigitalBridge secures $11.7 B for DBP III as demand surges for AI-era infrastructure, yet stock performance lags
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. announced a major financial milestone with the closing of its third value-added digital infrastructure fund, DigitalBridge Partners III, securing more than $7.2 billion in commitments. When combined with $4.5 billion in limited-partner co-investment commitments that accompany DBP III’s early portfolio, the firm now has amassed $11.7 billion dedicated to scaling the next generation of digital infrastructure. It …
Texas tower technician’s death leads to OSHA citation and reduced penalty of $4,500 to RB Telecom Services
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a “serious” violation and settlement fine of $4,500 to RB Telecom Services, LLC, following the fatal fall of a tower technician working on a T-Mobile build at an American Tower site in Cotton Valley, Louisiana. The incident occurred on February 17, 2025, when a 27-year-old Texas tower technician fell from a platform of …
BEAD goes big: NTIA signs off on 18 plans, $9 billion now unlocked
The NTIA announced that it has approved 18 final BEAD proposals — 15 U.S. states and 3 U.S. territories — under the $42.5 billion BEAD program. The approved states and territories are: Louisiana; Wyoming; Iowa; Georgia; Arkansas; Delaware; Maine; New Hampshire; Connecticut; South Carolina; North Dakota; Hawaii; Montana; Rhode Island; Virginia; plus the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the …
NWSA adds Crown Castle’s Case and Ansco’s Sams to Its leadership team
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) has announced that Josh Case, Senior Safety Manager at Crown Castle, and Andy Sams, Vice President of Wireless Operations at Ansco & Associates, have been appointed as members of the organization’s Board of Governors. In their roles as members of the Board of Governors, Case and Sams will work with representatives from a broad …
The race for mid-band spectrum: Why speed and scale matter for America’s wireless future
By Iain Gillott, Vice President of Technology & Innovation, WIA Even better than Stella getting her groove back, the FCC got its spectrum auction authority back thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). And with it, an obligation to auction at least 800 MHz of spectrum within eight years, with a minimum of 100 MHz (but likely more) of Upper …
From arbitration to Peppertree execs’ arrest warrants, Continental Towers dispute spreads across borders
A federal judge in New York has issued a civil contempt ruling against DT Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Terra Towers Corp., after the company failed to turn over documents related to an ongoing criminal investigation in Guatemala. The order, issued on November 6, 2025, is tied to efforts to enforce an arbitration award of more than $300 million issued …
Virginia — First of the 13 Colonies — Now the 13th state in South Wireless Association’s network
The South Wireless Association (SWA) is proud to announce the addition of the Virginia Wireless Association (VAWA) to its growing regional network, expanding SWA’s footprint to 13 states and 10 state wireless associations across the southern United States. This strategic alignment unites wireless professionals across a broader geography, fostering stronger collaboration, advocacy, and community engagement within the industry. The inclusion …
