Lighting up the next-generation fiber broadband workforce

Gabe Renville, resource planning and development manager for Whidbey Telecom, which began building FTTH in 2016, said labor is a crucial issue, a situation made worse by its geography. The provider is located mainly on Whidbey Island—which forms the northern boundary of Puget Sound--in Washington State. 

“Living on an island, we struggle with labor,” he said.

Whidbey Telecom is working to attract students to engage in the Fiber Broadband Association’s OpTIC path platform. It has begun offering the OpTIC program in partnership with 14 area school districts. 

Renville said getting quality labor is also an issue. As service providers have grown their networks, creating a viable workforce has lagged somewhat.

“If you go back to the 80s, people made cables with seals, and over the years, providers took workers out of the Central Office and put them in the field where they were multitasking,” Renville said. “We lost a lot of that quality. You only have one shot to make it right: when it is brand new.”

Deborah Kish, VP of research and workforce development for the Fiber Broadband Association, agreed and added that the training aspect needs to be addressed.

“When you look at providers like Whidbey Telecom and the industry as a whole, what we’re trying to build back in is training and reducing ROI, but also building in the knowledge that’s been lost over the years,” she said. “This was because we were so involved in teaching someone to do a specific task, whereas the new training programs like OpTIC path give a taste of the entire gamut.”

The BEAD effect 

The timing for refreshing the broadband workforce is even more pressing when considering the impact of the federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. 

According to FCC Map data, BEAD will create thousands of new jobs to light up about 13.1 million locations with broadband. 

The U.S. government has forecasted that the multi-year BEAD program will create 150,000 telecom jobs. However, the Fiber Broadband Association’s (FBA) Broadband-Workforce-Development-Guidebook estimates the industry will need over 205,000 new jobs in the next five years.

FBA’s study found a “profound skills gap” in the telecommunications industry workforce.
“Many job roles are needed to construct, operate, and maintain the new networks built through BEAD funding – and these will be required in every state,” said the study's writers. “However, the telecom workforce has been shrinking for years, and the industry lacks an efficient pipeline to bring in new workers. Considering the above, there is a serious risk that there will not be enough feet on the ground to deliver the new networks. For the states, insufficient availability of high-skilled labor will result in workforce bottlenecks, leading ultimately to delayed or failed projects.”

State challenges

As states get funding from BEAD, the need for a more robust workforce becomes even more pressing. 

Independent telco Whidbey Telecom, which began installing fiber in 2015, will use BEAD funding to enhance the reach of its FTTH network.

Washington State was awarded $1 billion in BEAD funding. These new federal funds pair with ongoing work on the state’s BEAD five-year action plan and a Statewide Digital Equity Plan, which will inform how Washington proposes to use the infrastructure funds for broadband construction projects.

“To expand service into underserved areas, you need a bigger trained workforce,” Renville said. “It’s hard to find a well-trained contracting company, and we’re hoping that the fiber training program will solve it so some of the students we pick up go to a contractor or a competitor, but we’re looking at the bigger picture.”

Alaska is facing a similar issue—many of the state’s residents do not have primary internet access.

The state has been awarded nearly $2 billion in federal funding to expand broadband availability.

Alaska Communications’ partners have received over $130 million to build high-speed fiber broadband in 15 Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers communities.

The Alaska FiberOptic Project is a collaboration between Calista Corporation, Doyon Limited, Gana-A 'Yoo Limited, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and Alaska Communications (ACS).

“A significant digital divide in Alaska has left many residents without basic internet access, and this inequity has disproportionality affected Alaska Native people. Telecom professionals are at the forefront of life-changing infrastructure investments in Alaska,” said Heather Marron, director of communications for ACS.

Orbia’s Dura-Line division agreed. “With the imperative to deploy BEAD funding and create new networks to connect rural communities, the need for a strong, dependable workforce has never been more critical,” the company said. “BEAD will not be effective unless we have the people to deploy it.”

New programs emerge

To attract a new fiber broadband workforce, various labor and telecom industry advocacy groups are stepping up to attract a younger generation of workers in the telecom and fiber installation space.

Representing workers that install telephone and cable TV services, including wireline, wireless, broadband, data and IP services, and electronic security systems and services, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union has been keen on creating new programs related to workforce development.

The telecom union had previously secured partnerships with employers and industry associations, including NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association and AT&T.

CWA is also actively working with local community colleges. Through its partnership with Chabot-Las Positas Community College District in San Jose, the union was awarded a $5.8 million federal DOL Apprenticeship Building America grant and has additional funding opportunities in various stages of development.

It also recognizes the need for a skilled workforce with ongoing fiber broadband expansions in rural markets. CWA and NTCA- The Rural Broadband Association announced an innovative partnership to engage NTCA’s membership, which consists of hundreds of independent, community-based broadband providers. CWA and NTCA will work together to make apprenticeship programs accessible to NTCA member companies and offer companies the opportunity to have employees participate in an OSHA 10 training course delivered by OSHA-authorized CWA trainers who are broadband technicians themselves.

“It is critical not only to diversify our workforce and offer opportunities for economic mobility and job security but to meet the nation’s urgent need for high-speed fiber broadband in every home,” said CWA President Chris Shelton.

Industry advocacy groups are also advancing this cause. The Fiber Broadband Association FBA, through its OpTIC path. The FBA OpTIC Path course consists of 144 hours of instructor-led and hands-on practices to equip future fiber technicians with the skills and knowledge required to install, splice, test, and maintain “Fiber to the Home” (FTTH) and Fiber to the Building (FTTB) systems.

FBA continues to progress in engaging with local education institutions to adopt its OpTIC Path program. The organization is involved with 40 of its targeted 56 states and territories to roll out the OpTIC Path program, with 44 service providers and 70 community colleges and training institutions. 

The FBA recently announced a partnership with Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center, a free public school in Everett, Washington, that has begun offering junior and senior high school students technical training via FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) program.

Whidbey also works with the Washington Independent Telephone Association (WITA), representing smaller telcos like Whidbey and TDS Telecom. Betty Buckley, the executive director of WITA, is working with FBA and Whidbey Telecom to extend the training program to more members.

“She wants to launch this program and talk to other independent telcos in Washington State and see what we can do to help with other technical high schools in the region and see if we could see this take off the full scale,” Renville said.  

Vendors are also stepping into the game. Orbia’s Connectivity Solutions business, Dura-Line, has created an online training academy that anyone can use.

Over 3,000 people have completed training courses from over 1,000 organizations. The Dura-Line Academy is a training resource used by the Power Communications Contractors Association, Fiber Broadband Association, Mississippi State Broadband Association, and many others.

Dura-Line said the program aims to achieve two goals: support the industry with online training to deploy networks correctly the first time, utilize BEAD funds efficiently, and raise deeper awareness about the industry for newcomers regarding job expectations and career path opportunities to increase long-term retention. 

Providers step up

Schools aren’t the only entities actively ramping up fiber labor education. 

Service providers that participate in training programs can give students a better understanding of the nuances of the serving areas where they will work every day.

Mississippi-based Alcorn County Electric Power Association (ACE Power) makes the OpTIC Path program available to its employees.

Likewise, Whidbey Telecom has partnered with local technical high school Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center, a free public school in Everett, Washington, offering technical training for junior and senior high school students. It is the first high school and latest education institution to offer FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path) program.

With the help of this local ISP, these future fiber technicians will learn the challenges of the area they will serve before they hit the field, creating a smooth transition from classroom to field. 

Renville said the need for a qualified workforce poses a challenge as it expands its fiber broadband network.

“If you’re not growing in this industry, then you are dying,” Renville said. “A lot of things are changing on the recovery model regarding how much a phone company gets back on tax dollars, so we’re seeing the whole industry change and adapt. You can see fiber is the long-term solution versus other technologies like fixed wireless.”

Likewise, Matanuska Telecom Association (MTA) and Alaska Communications created a new pact to address the need for telecom workers in Alaska.

“With a surge of new projects, telecom work is available in our state, and it will be available in the foreseeable future,” said Marron. “This campaign aims to boost interest and grow the number of highly skilled professionals we hope to hire.”

Through a mix of traditional advertising, digital marketing, partnership promotion, community outreach/speakers’ bureau, and employee advocacy, ACS and MTA aim to attract a diverse group of people from all walks of life, including high school students, vocational students, military members, career changers, and women and minorities.

“There are so many benefits to working in this trade that many residents may be unaware of,” Marron said. “From getting paid to go to school and not incurring any debt to the approximately $90,000 annual starting salary upon graduation, our campaign aims to communicate these benefits to encourage consideration. In addition, our communication materials feature Alaska Communications and MTA’s current apprentices telling their unique stories.”

ACS and MTA have partnered with the NECA/IBEW’s Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Trust (AJEATT) in Alaska. NECA/IBEW trade school consists of an initial eight-week session with three additional eight-week sessions during on-the-job training. Classes are held eight hours a day, five days a week, at the Electrical Training Centers in Anchorage and Fairbanks. There is a total of 1280 hours of class-related training.

Alaska Communications and MTA's primary partnership objective is to increase the number of qualified candidates entering AJEATT’s telecommunications apprenticeship program. Through the partnership, the two companies actively promote the program through paid advertising and community outreach.

“As we see the need to increase our skilled workforce and ensure a pipeline of new workers will be available, we are using our resources to increase awareness of apprenticeship schools and the trade in general,” Marron said. “We work closely with MTA and know they also hire from AJEATT. Together, we brainstormed the concept for this workforce development campaign.”