Spectrum

Dish Defaulted on $3.5 Billion, Crown Castle Says

Dish has argued it is exempt from contracts after its parent company EchoStar reached deals to sell much of its spectrum.

Jake Neenan

Jake Neenan

— 2 min read
Dish Defaulted on $3.5 Billion, Crown Castle Says
Photo of EchoStar CEO, Chairman, and co-founder Charlier Ergen from the company

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 – Crown Castle said Monday it had terminated its contract with Dish Wireless after Dish defaulted on more than $3.5 billion in owed payments.

EchoStar, Dish’s parent company, reached deals to sell many of its spectrum licenses for more than $40 billion last year.

Dish has been telling tower companies and contractors it’s exiting their existing agreements, arguing the sale was forced by Federal Communications Commission pressure and that the proceeds will remain with EchoStar.

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Spectrum DISH Echostar Charlie Ergen Brendan Carr SpaceX AT&T

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