Contributed Article

A recent study has estimated that 180,000 workers are needed to complete broadband builds over the next 10 years.

By: Deborah Kish, Vice President of Workforce Development and Research, Fiber Broadband Association

A substantial number of people across many fields will be required to build, operate, maintain, and repair the broadband networks supported by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, along with other public and private funding sources.

In fact, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), the Power and Communications Contractors Association (PCCA), and independent consulting firm Continuum Capital published a study recently that reported 180,000 workers are needed to complete broadband builds over the next 10 years.

The study, released at Fiber Connect 2024, predicts that the unprecedented injection of federal and state funding into the broadband market is a disruptive force that will exceed the existing engineering, permitting, locating, and construction workforce’s capacity to absorb it, causing bottlenecks that could push projects two to three years into the future, complicating construction and exposing BEAD funding for some projects to the legislative expiration date.

To avoid delays, 28,000 more broadband construction workers and 30,000 more broadband technician workers are needed to execute the immediate amount of planned state and federal broadband funding, the study stated. The research predicts an additional 119,200 construction and technician workers will be needed over the next 10 years to compensate for retirement and other attrition.

Additional workforce growth will also be needed for ongoing and routine broadband construction, attachment, and maintenance activities on top of drafting, design, and engineering resources needs not specifically studied but representing another bottleneck before infrastructure projects can be released for construction. However, the use of design-build and/or turnkey delivery systems will likely accelerate to compensate for design-related bottlenecks and delays.

At a high level, the main areas and approaches to address this urgent need for workers can be broken into four main categories:

• Workforce development funding and programs
• Hiring pool expansions
• Technical job attitude adjustments
• Incentive investments

Workforce development funding and programs

Workforce development programs like the FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) are helping to train fiber broadband technicians and fill the workforce gap. The FBA is currently engaged with 40 states and territories to roll out OpTIC Path and is working to bring up the program in all U.S. states and territories.

But that is not enough. It’s time for the broadband ecosystem to collaborate and develop a serious strategy to address this issue holistically or else be forced to delay broadband connectivity to those communities that need it most.

States or ISPs who get grant money should apply some of it towards training individuals or an apprenticeship model in combination with OpTIC Path training. If they go through OpTIC Path at a community college, the ISP or contractor can bring on graduates as interns or as hires, with the money going to the actual training itself so the ISP doesn’t have to foot the bill.

Beyond BEAD, other federal agencies and states have applicable funding and resources to tap into for training purposes, such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s YouthBuild community-based apprenticeship program and programs funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Funding from WIOA is designed to provide state programs with more comprehensive resources for at-risk job seekers facing significant challenges, improving resources for employers, and encouraging more local and regional collaboration among workforce, education, and industry partners.

Hiring pool expansion

With so many positions to fill in the fiber industry, employers and state agencies alike are reaching outside of the traditional high school and trade school pipelines to refresh and grow the workforce. Many are looking within corrections and rehabilitative departments, non-native English language communities, and veterans groups.

Technical job attitude adjustment

While the FBA and others in the industry are creating and increasing the availability of telecommunications training programs, another part of the challenge is generating enthusiasm for the field across the board, from potential technicians to those that mentor and advise them.

A great example: At a fiber broadband boot camp at Wilson Community College, students showed little enthusiasm for the coursework in the beginning; they just looked like they just did not want to be there. But when they started the splicing exercise, that’s where the magic happened. They each spliced together a piece of a long horseshoe of fiber and put a connector and power light source meter on the fiber, then they lit it from end-to-end. They could actually see the light and that’s when their faces lit up, knowing that the fiber with the little light is what puts data into the phones and TVs and PCs they use every day.

Some reluctance may come naturally from youth and inexperience, but others are providing harmful messaging that others are seeing as well. For example, the long-running belief in the United States that high-school graduates should go to college and get a four-year degree. Everyone in the broadband industry needs to talk to friends, family, and neighbors about the benefits of technical and trade schools.

The careers that these schools lead to can put students on the path to a successful and lucrative career.

PCCA is using a variety of methods to reach and engage with new job seekers in high school, including bringing skill simulators to job fairs and creating a YouTube channel for engagement and education.

Incentive investment

In today’s competitive environment with a strong demand for labor, simply training and/or hiring new employees is not enough.

Skilled positions from fiber technicians to locates are extremely competitive, giving entry-level to experienced workers, and significant flexibility in seeking better working conditions and pay. Employers need to provide more than a job and a paycheck, as the contracting industry has found.

Company culture is an important platform to create a rewarding environment for employees. Onboarding procedures, good management, and well-rounded benefits programs are critical to ensuring successful employees and retention, but other incentives should be considered for potential hires and existing team members.

To incentivize individuals to come into this industry, sign-up bonuses are always attractive. Support for childcare or other household challenges may go a long way in attracting new talent. Scholarships for technician programs can be offered to those willing to commit to a company for an extended time.

It’s also important that our industry clearly advertise the impact fiber broadband networks will have on society – reliable, high-speed connectivity will change the world for good. Employees should be proud of their contributions that will last for decades—30, 40, 50 years.

The good news is that there are many organizations like the FBA that are eager to help. If the OpTIC Path program is not a fit, we will help you find an approach that is.

Visit fiberbroadband.org/education-and-certification for more information or to ask for assistance in starting a workforce growth plan.

Deborah Kish is Vice President of Research and Workforce Development for the Fiber Broadband Association. In her role, she is leading research initiatives as well as serving as team lead in building the Optical Telecom Installer Certification Path (OpTIC Path™) program, the association’s fiber optic technician certification program. Prior to joining the Fiber Broadband Association’s team, she spent over 20 years as an analyst at Gartner covering broadband, telecom switching, signaling, and security topics advising thousands of service provider and vendor clients about product and service strategy.

To get content like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter.