NATE Files Comments in HHS Inquiry on Radiofrequency and EMF Exposure

NATE submitted formal comments to the Department of Health and Human Services in its Request for Information on electromagnetic fields, radiofrequency radiation, and wireless radiation exposure (Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0397), ahead of the Oct. 21 deadline. As the association representing the tower workforce, the group with the most direct occupational RF exposure, NATE used the filing to show how the industry already assesses and manages that exposure through established safety training and field practices, drawing on RF safety-audit data from the NATE STAR Initiative. The comments were prepared by NATE’s safety team under Director of Safety, Health & Compliance Kathy Stieler. 

ICYMI: NATE Takes Its Advocacy to Washington for Annual Fall Fly-In

NATE spent last week in Washington for its annual fall Legislative & Regulatory Council trip, a three-day push pairing policy meetings with a hands-on look at the industry’s work. Council members and NATE leadership met with federal agencies on Tuesday and walked Capitol Hill on Wednesday, carrying the association’s priorities on permitting, spectrum, and workforce straight to lawmakers and their staff. The week closed Thursday with NATE’s Tower Climbing Experience Event at an SBA Communications site in the DC region, where congressional staff and members of the press suited up to climb a communications tower and see firsthand the skill and safety behind building and maintaining the nation’s networks. Photos and daily recaps are on NATE’s social channels.

NATE Announces 2026-2027 STAR Initiative and NATE-OSHA-FCC Partnership Participants

NATE announced the member companies approved for the 2026-2027 NATE STAR Initiative and the NATE-OSHA-FCC Strategic Partnership. Both programs recognize contractors that commit to elevated safety, training, and accountability standards across tower construction, service, and maintenance, and the STAR credential carries weight with carriers and turf vendors evaluating crews. The recognition caps the enrollment cycle that closed Aug. 31.

FCC’s Oct. 29 Meeting Preview: New Spectrum Auction and National-Security Measures

The FCC’s Oct. 29 open meeting carries a full infrastructure slate. The Commission will consider a proposal to reallocate and auction 25 megahertz in the 1675-1695 MHz band for terrestrial 5G, direct-to-device service, or both, along with additional satellite-spectrum items and national-security measures restricting test labs and certification bodies tied to non-reciprocal countries. More spectrum moving toward auction continues to point to sustained deployment work for the crews that build and upgrade networks.

NTIA on Track to Finish Federal Spectrum Study by December

NTIA said it expects to complete a study by December on clearing up to 275 megahertz of federal government spectrum for commercial use, with proposed auction rules to follow. A steady pipeline of newly cleared spectrum is what sustains the multi-year buildout work the tower and infrastructure workforce depends on.

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