Attendees at NATE UNITE 2025 are raising urgent concerns about the industry’s fragile state, and are overwhelmingly supporting a petition to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that is seen as a key step toward much-needed reform. (VIEW LARGER IMAGE)
Kicking off its annual conference in Raleigh today, NATE: The Wireless Infrastructure Contractors Association took a decisive stand, launching a petition to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. The move has energized members and industry leaders, sounding the alarm that inflexible, take-it-or-leave-it contractor pricing jeopardizes the workforce and the sustainability of America’s contractors and other businesses in the supply chain.
MTWGA – Make Tower Work Great Again hats were prominently seen this morning, worn by numerous attendees, including these three workers from MILLERCO proudly sporting them. The petition has sparked widespread enthusiasm, rallying support through NATE and other industry advocates to address critical challenges. The goal is to drive meaningful change, ensuring the long-term sustainability of wireless infrastructure contracting.
The PETITION, unveiled this morning and heavily promoted throughout the NATE UNITE 2025 conference, titled “Petition for Fairness and Sustainability in Wireless Infrastructure Contracting,” is a significant move aimed at addressing the growing challenges wireless infrastructure contractors face. It calls for urgent reforms in pricing structures, contract fairness, and business sustainability—issues that have reached a nationwide crisis point for many contractors.
THE PETITION IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL, ENSURING THE PRIVACY OF ALL SIGNATORIES, AND IS OPEN TO ALL INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE.
Since contractors are not the only ones affected by the nation’s carriers’ conduct, the petition can be signed by all individuals in the workforce. Categories that signatories can identify include:
- Carrier Employee
- Contracting Company Employee
- Contracting Company Owner, CEO or President
- Managed Service Company (Turf) Employee
- Original Equipment Manufacturer Employee
- Tower Technician
- Vertical Real Estate Company Employee
NATE respects and values the privacy of all petition participants, and all information will be securely stored and shared exclusively with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. NATE will not disclose or distribute this information to any other parties.
The catalyst: An anonymous cry for help
The impetus for NATE’s petition can be traced back to an anonymous letter published by Wireless Estimator titled “Is the Tower Contracting Industry Slowly Dying?” The letter, written by a long-time, experienced, well-respected contractor CEO, painted a bleak picture of an industry once thriving but now strangled air pricing, extensive compliance requirements, and exploitative business practices. It outlined how carriers, through their mandated pricing models and reliance on turf vendors, had squeezed contractors into an unsustainable position, leading to financial distress and business closures.
The letter quickly gained traction within the industry, sparking conversations among contractors and suppliers who resonated with its grievances. Wireless Estimator’s editors acknowledged the letter’s significance, emphasizing the necessity of continued dialogue and collective action to prevent the industry from crumbling.
NATE’s open letter: A formal industry response
In response to the concerns raised by the anonymous contractor and growing frustrations within the industry, NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway issued an open letter to the wireless industry. The letter acknowledged the concerns’ validity and laid out a comprehensive critique of the prevailing business conditions imposed on contractors. Key issues highlighted included:
- One-sided Master Service Agreements (MSAs): Contractors are forced into “take-it-or-leave-it” agreements that disproportionately shift liabilities and costs onto them.
- Unfair Pricing Structures: Carriers enforce unit pricing models that fail to account for inflation, labor, compliance, and operational costs.
- Operational Inefficiencies and Payment Delays: Extended payment terms exceeding 30-60 days create cash flow issues, leading to financial instability for contractors.
- Illegal Workforce Practices: Some carriers and turf vendors rely on a 1099 and non-citizen workforce, which raises ethical and legal concerns.
- Uncompensated Mandates: Contractors bear the financial burden of compliance costs, third-party certification platforms, and material storage without reimbursement.
Schlekeway’s letter warned that unless these issues were addressed, the contracting industry could face a collapse, endangering the stability of America’s wireless infrastructure.
The petition: A call to action
With mounting pressure and industry-wide acknowledgment of the crisis, NATE launched its petition to gather support for regulatory intervention by the FCC. The petition asserts that wireless infrastructure contractors are the backbone of America’s connectivity and that their survival is imperative for a stable and secure telecommunications network.
By gathering industry-wide signatures, NATE aims to demonstrate overwhelming support for regulatory intervention to ensure that:
- Pricing models reflect actual operational costs and inflation.
- Contractual terms are negotiated fairly rather than dictated unilaterally by carriers.
- Payment terms are standardized to ensure timely compensation for work completed.
- Compliance costs are equitably distributed rather than solely burdening contractors.
- Legal workforce practices are upheld, and predatory employment models are eradicated.
Industry-wide support and future implications
The movement has also put carriers in the spotlight, challenging them to take accountability for the conditions they have created. While some industry players remain resistant to change, the momentum generated by the petition, coupled with public scrutiny, could force a reconsideration of existing contracting models.
NATE’s petition represents a pivotal moment in the wireless infrastructure industry. The association seeks to drive meaningful reform that ensures a fair, competitive, and sustainable contracting environment by leveraging collective advocacy.
The coming months will reveal whether regulatory intervention or voluntary carrier collaboration will address these pressing concerns. One thing is sure—contractors are no longer willing to remain silent as their industry teeters on the brink of collapse. The petition to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is just the beginning of a more significant movement demanding fairness, sustainability, and a future where the backbone of wireless connectivity is strengthened rather than dismantled.