You are going in the right direction. It has been going on long enough that in the sat world DirecTV should have known about it and taken steps to correct this abuse. To some extent I think the MASTEC subcontractors I have encountered really thought they could make things work out. Late and missing cash flow plus mystery back charges just emptied their pockets without any bank backing.
But MASTEC is a large company and their satellite work is a small portion of their work.
My experiences are not universal,,,Check the insights of others.
Joe