to maintain the towers. The general contractor then hires cheap, underpaid, unsafe, and sometimes undocumented labor to maintain the towers. VZ knows this, but can claim ignorance (we hired E/// to maintain it, not our problem....). Willful ignorance on the part of VZ. Happening across the country.
https://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2026/verizons-move-on-carolina-west-wireless-gives-fcc-chairman-carr-a-clear-leverage-point-on-contractor-commitments/
Directly from the article:
Ericsson, which Verizon selected as a preferred supplier despite that company having eliminated its entire U.S. field services operation in October 2023 — laying off approximately 750 employees — has no self-performing crews and will subcontract the work it has been awarded. That subcontract market is where undocumented workers, misclassified 1099 labor, and suppressed safety standards are most concentrated.