Spectrum

Dish to Colo. Judge: Don’t Uphold American Tower Contract

Two tower companies have sued to prevent Dish from exiting lease agreements after major spectrum sales by its parent company.

Jake Neenan

Jan 8, 2026 — 2 min read

Photo of Jacob A. Rey, partner at Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell, from the firm

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2026 – Dish Wireless is telling federal judges it can’t be made to remain in its contract with a major tower company because its parent company was effectively forced to sell its spectrum, and Dish itself won’t receive any of the more than $40 billion buyers are paying

EchoStar reached those deals with SpaceX and AT&T last year and is decommissioning its wireless network as a result. EchoStar’s subsidiary that operates the network, Dish, has been telling infrastructure companies it has to exit their lease agreements, as federal regulators unexpectedly demanded the sales that are leaving Dish unable to make payments.

American Tower and Crown Castle have sued over the issue, arguing EchoStar wasn’t required to sell its licenses and is trying to avoid paying its subsidiary’s bills after the highly lucrative deals.