Work Remains to Ensure Enough Telecom Workers: Rosenworcel
The U.S. isn't putting attention on the telecom workforce that will be needed as federal funds are spent to close the digital divide, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Tuesday, at the kickoff meeting of the Telecommunications Workforce Interagency Group (TWIG). The webcast included remarks from Biden administration officials but no discussion.
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"The bipartisan infrastructure law has received a lot of attention and there’s good reason for that,” Rosenworcel said: “It’s a historic commitment to building a brighter future. That is especially true when it comes to the $65 billion in support it provides for universal broadband.” We hear a lot about how 5G will create as many as 4.5 million new jobs but too little about the investment needed in the workforce on the “front end,” she said. “We need to think about the workforce of the future and how we support skill development that will foster … broadband deployment, network virtualization, system integration, software development and more,” she said.
“We are hearing a lot about worker shortages or even a great resignation, but that’s not the real story,” said Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. The workforce is “growing, but labor dynamics are changing,” and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated change, he said. Workers are demanding better pay, safer working conditions, and more benefits and flexibility, Walsh said. “They want, and they deserve, equity for women, workers of color, immigrants, workers with disabilities and workers in rural America,” he said.
“Tens of millions of Americans still live without reliable broadband, but this exciting collaboration is going to do something about that,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
More than 40% of black-owned businesses didn’t survive the pandemic, said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “Rebuilding our economy will require retraining our workforce and connecting them to jobs of the future,” he said. Telecom sector jobs “are exactly the kind of economic opportunities that are needed in the wake of the pandemic,” he said: “We need to understand where the shortages lie and what we can all do to correct them.” Starks said he’s “particularly hopeful that many new businesses owned by women and people of color will emerge."
The U.S. never before had “the commitment at the federal level, backed with a significant amount of federal dollars, to end the digital divide,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. The U.S. likely needs another 20,000 tower climbers on top of the 27,000 already employed, he said. “We need more energy put behind this if we are going to ramp up to 20,000 additional tower climbers, let alone all the additional telecom crews that we need,” he said.
“If we are going to build out broadband, we are going to need a highly skilled, diverse workforce that can safely do their jobs,” said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “We need a coordinated, all-of-government approach, and it must be flawlessly executed … so no pressure,” he said.
TWIG is to submit a report to Congress by Jan. 14, with recommendations to address the workforce needs of the telecom industry, including to deploy 5G.