Walberg, Clarke Bow Tower Infrastructure Deployment Act for 5G

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and House Commerce Committee Vice Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., led filing of Telecommunications Opportunities for Workers Engaging in Real (Tower) Infrastructure Deployment Act to increase workforce training for 5G-related jobs. HR-3255 would direct the FCC to create the Telecommunications Workforce Development Advisory Council to develop recommendations on “needs of the workforce in the communications industry to promote the deployment” of telecom facilities, “ways to encourage participation in industry-led workforce development programs” and “ways to improve” communications industry workforce development. The council would include representatives from NTIA, the Telecom Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program, state, local and tribal agencies, the communications industry and “a minority institution.” By “streamlining workforce development programs and promoting industry collaboration, we can free up resources for greater broadband deployment instead of recreating the same curriculum across the country,” Walberg said Friday. “Women and people of color are underrepresented in the telecom industry, which is why I am committed to drafting and supporting legislation that addresses this unacceptable reality,” Clarke said. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praised HR-3255's filing, saying "expanding America’s skilled workforce is essential to our country’s leadership in 5G and building out next-generation networks. In fact, industry estimates that it could fill another 20,000 job openings for tower climbers and telecom techs alone." The National Association of Tower Erectors and the Wireless Infrastructure Association also lauded the bill.