Cell Tower Deaths (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE and ProPublica explored the hazardous work of independent contractors who built and serviced America’s cellular infrastructure as it expanded. (Aired 2012) This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: ​. The smartphone revolution came with a hidden cost. Tower climbers install and service cell phone antennas, ascending hundreds, sometimes more than a thousand feet. Nearly 100 climbers were killed on radio, TV and cell towers in the decade before the documentary was released — a rate that at the time was about 10 times the average for construction workers. Reporters at FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigated 50 cell-related deaths in this 2012 documentary. While some cell phone tower climbers said they were under pressure to cut corners, layers of subcontracting made it difficult for safety inspectors to determine fault when a tower worker was killed or injured. “Cell Tower Deaths” was a FRONTLINE p