AMERICAN TOWER CORP MA

Towers, Antennas and Fiber. Our U.S. and international tower leasing businesses are subject to national, state and local regulatory requirements with respect to the registration, siting, construction, lighting, marking and maintenance of our towers. In the United States, the construction of new towers or modifications to existing towers may require pre-approval by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) and the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), depending on factors such as tower height and proximity to public airfields. Towers requiring pre-approval must be registered with the FCC and maintained in accordance with FAA standards. Similar requirements regarding pre-approval of the construction and modification of towers are imposed by regulators in other countries. Non-compliance with applicable tower-related requirements may lead to monetary penalties or site deconstruction orders.

Certain of our international operations are subject to regulatory requirements with respect to licensing, registration, permitting and public listings. In India, ATC TIPL holds an Infrastructure Provider Category-I (“IP-I”) Registration Certificate issued by the Indian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which permits us to provide tower space to companies licensed as telecommunications service providers under the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. As a condition to the IP-I, the Indian government has the right to take over telecommunications infrastructure in the case of emergency or war.

In Asia-Pacific, our subsidiaries in the Philippines and Bangladesh are required to hold a registration or license in order to establish, manage and operate passive telecommunications infrastructure services.

Our subsidiaries in New Zealand are required to satisfy certain investment and reporting requirements. Specifically, our subsidiaries are required to invest 10 million New Zealand Dollars in the aggregate in additional land interests under telecommunications assets in New Zealand by September 30, 2027, of which 5 million New Zealand Dollars must be invested by September 30, 2025. Quarterly reporting for all acquisitions and dispositions is required to be provided to the Overseas Investment Office.

In Africa, our subsidiaries in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria and Uganda are required to hold a license in order to establish and maintain passive telecommunications infrastructure services and DAS networks for communications service providers.

In Latin America, our subsidiary in Chile holds a concession of intermediate telecommunications services and our subsidiary in Argentina holds an information and communications technology service license. In Peru, our subsidiaries are registered as infrastructure providers and in Colombia, passive infrastructure activities do not need any authorization, but our fiber subsidiary is registered as a carrier service provider. The subsidiary that holds our fiber business in Brazil is also licensed and regulated as a concession holder and permit holder authorized to provide telecommunications services. In certain of the markets in which we operate, we are required to provide tower space to service providers on a non-discriminatory basis, subject to the negotiation of mutually agreeable terms. Additionally, in 2023, one of our Brazilian subsidiaries, American Tower do Brasil – Cessao de Infraestruturas S.A. (“ATC Brazil”) issued non-convertible debentures, which are listed on the Brazilian stock exchange. Although the non-convertible debentures are held by another subsidiary of ours and are eliminated in consolidation, ATC Brazil is still subject to the listing requirements of such exchange.

Our international business operations may be subject to increased licensing fees or ownership restrictions. For example, in South Africa, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, 2003 (the “BBBEE Act”) has established a legislative framework for the promotion of economic empowerment of South African citizens disadvantaged by Apartheid. Accordingly, the BBBEE Act and related codes measure BBBEE Act compliance and good corporate practice by the inclusion of certain ownership, management control, employment equity and other metrics for companies that do business there. In addition, certain municipalities have sought to impose permit fees based upon structural or operational requirements of towers and certain regional and other governmental bodies have sought to impose levies or other forms of fees. Our foreign operations may be affected if a country’s regulatory authority restricts, revokes or modifies spectrum licenses of certain wireless service providers or implements limitations on foreign ownership.

In all countries where we operate, we are subject to zoning restrictions and restrictive covenants imposed by local authorities or community organizations. While these regulations vary, they typically require tower owners or tenants to obtain approval from local authorities or community standards organizations prior to tower construction or the addition of a new antenna to an existing tower. Local zoning authorities and community residents often oppose construction in their communities, which can delay or prevent new tower construction, new antenna installation or site upgrade projects, thereby limiting our ability to respond to tenant demand. This opposition and existing or new zoning regulations can increase costs associated with new tower construction, tower modifications or additions of new antennas to a site or site upgrades, as well as adversely affect the associated timing or cost of such projects. Further, additional regulations may be adopted that cause delays or result in additional costs to us or changes in the competitive landscape that may negatively affect our business. These factors could materially and adversely affect our operations. In the United States, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits any action by state and local authorities that would discriminate between different providers of wireless services or ban altogether the construction, modification or placement of communications sites. It also prohibits state or local restrictions based on the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent the facilities comply with FCC regulations. Further, in February 2012, the United States government adopted regulations requiring that local and state governments approve modifications or colocations that qualify as eligible facilities under the regulations.

Portions of our business are subject to additional regulations, for example, in a number of states throughout the United States, certain of our subsidiaries hold Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) or other status, in connection with the operation of our outdoor DAS networks business. In addition, we, or our customers, may be subject to new regulatory policies in certain jurisdictions from time to time that may materially and adversely affect our business or the demand for our communications sites.

Data Centers. Our U.S. data center facilities and related assets are subject to various federal, state and local regulations, such as state and local fire and life safety regulations and Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) federal requirements. If one of our properties is not in compliance with these regulations, we may be required to make significant unanticipated expenditures in order to comply with such regulations and/or pay fines or civil damage awards. Existing regulations may subsequently change or future regulations may be enacted, either of which could have a similar impact as described above, and could materially and adversely affect our operations.

Environmental Matters. Our U.S. and international operations are subject to various national, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to the management, use, storage, disposal, emission and remediation of, and exposure to, hazardous and non-hazardous substances, materials and wastes, the siting of our towers and the maintenance of our data center facilities. We may be required to obtain permits, pay additional property taxes, comply with regulatory requirements and make certain informational filings related to hazardous substances or devices used to provide power such as batteries, generators and fuel at our tower sites and/or data center facilities. When a site is decommissioned, we are required to follow applicable regulatory requirements, including by following decommissioning procedures and environmental management plans. With respect to our data center facilities, the presence of contamination, asbestos, mold or other air quality issues or the failure to remediate contamination, asbestos, mold or other air quality issues at our facilities may expose us to third-party liability or materially and adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or develop the real estate or to borrow using the real estate as collateral. Violations of these types of regulations could subject us to fines or criminal sanctions.

Additionally, in the United States and in other countries where we operate, before constructing a new tower or adding an antenna to an existing site, we must review and evaluate the impact of the action to determine whether it may significantly affect the environment and whether we must disclose any significant impacts in an environmental assessment. If a tower or new antenna might have a material adverse impact on the environment, FCC or other governmental approval of the tower or antenna could be significantly delayed or modifications to the site construction plans may be necessary.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, some of the states and localities in which we operate and the governments of other countries in which we operate have also enacted or proposed certain climate-related disclosures and may adopt new regulations related to the use of fossil fuels or requiring the use of alternative fuel or renewable energy sources to power energy resources that serve our data centers. Efforts to support and enhance renewable electricity generation may increase our costs of electricity above those that would be incurred through procurement of conventional electricity. Our data centers require and consume significant amounts of power, including electricity generated by the burning of fossil fuels. These laws, regulations and stakeholder requests could limit our ability to develop new facilities or result in substantial compliance, maintenance, repair, retrofit and construction costs, including capital expenditures for environmental control facilities and other new equipment. Changes in regulations that affect electric power providers, such as regulations related to the control of greenhouse gas emissions or other climate change-related matters, could adversely affect the costs of electric power and increase our operating costs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations or those of our customers.

Health and Safety. In the United States and in other countries where we operate, we are subject to various national, state and local laws regarding employee health and safety, including protection from radio frequency exposure and air quality issues.