Last year the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act was introduced to address the shortage of the telecommunications workforce but did not make it out of committee. This year’s bill may get a different reception with the shift in the White House. We’ll share what this bill could mean for businesses and residential communities.
The goal of the bill was to improve broadband and wireless connectivity and access in rural America by providing resources to address the labor shortage associated with telecommunications workers.
It would provide guidance to states on how to utilize available federal resources to expand training in the industry to boost numbers in the workforce. It didn’t make it far, but it has resurfaced one year later with a more promising outlook.
The updated bill names the Federal Communications Commission as the lead agency on the working group compared to last year’s Department of Labor. This group, led by the FCC, would work with the DOL to create recommendations to ultimately increase the telecommunications workforce through recruitment, training, and providing resources and aid to teach the skills necessary to build and maintain broadband and mobile networks. This would not only increase jobs in rural communities but increase connectivity in these underserved areas as well.
“As our country moves quickly toward full-scale deployment of 5G, addressing the needs of our nation’s telecommunications workforce is a critical step to realizing the promise of this technology. Substantial skill and labor will be required to build out and maintain next-generation broadband networks. This legislation would identify the necessary resources to improve 5G workforce readiness.” – Roger Wicker, one of the Senators who introduced the bill
With the possibility of this bill of greater likelihood this year, we could see some great changes in telecom. The workforce increase would allow carriers and providers an opportunity to focus on innovation rather than focusing on the struggle to find enough workers to carry out projects. This will also lessen the time needed to complete projects, meaning more connectivity and perhaps at a cheaper price to businesses and residential customers alike. We’ve all heard of 5G but unless you live in one of the largest cities in the United States, you likely haven’t seen it. This could bolster the deployment to have a quicker rollout for 5G across the nation.
We will continue to need a strong telecommunications workforce.
Businesses rely on telecom, internet, and wireless to carry out their obligations to their customers, employees, and shareholders. With many employees working from home it is especially important that we continue to stay connected and continue to see improvements in the industry.
Although this bill was introduced, it could take a long time to see the impacts. Your business shouldn’t be using the wrong technologies at an inflated cost while we wait. Let Verify! run an in-depth analysis on your business accounts and provide an inventory of accounts along with cost-cutting and efficiency recommendations. Stay on the cutting-edge of telecom and internet without maxing out your budget. And the best part? No savings, no invoice. Guaranteed.
