Incoming FCC Chair Bendan Carr says he’s met CEOs of tower construction companies who began as climbers. Speaking at a WIA event titled, “Preparing the Broadband Workforce for Our Connected Future,” in Washington, D.C. yesterday, Carr said, “We need to look at ways the FCC can be a friend to the tower techs, the linemen and make sure they are being properly compensated by the entities that regulate. One thing I want to take a look at in the next four years is … are compensation and wages appropriate?” He noted there’s been a “little slowdown” in hiring but said, there’s got to be a way for tower climbers to provide for a family but get the wages they need. “There’s got to be a way to make sure the wage is appropriate.”
WIA President/CEO Patrick Halley asked Carr if he intends to continue honoring climbers with his 5G Ready Hard Hat Awards. Carr believes there’s now one in the works.
Inside Towers asked Carr if he intends to keep climbing towers even after he becomes Chairman and the workload increases. Carr said yes, “I’m not giving that up.”
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks organized a roundtable at the Commission looking at the impact of automation and digitization on the workforce in 2020. Halley said back then, Starks was concerned about communities that could be left behind, and asked why it’s important “that we intentionally focus” on the needs of all apprenticeship or other students.
Starks began to notice general purchases such as groceries or food at McDonalds becoming automated. “Those steady service jobs are now kind of independently done,” Starks said. “How are we going to help those folks on the wrong side of the digital divide? Seniors whose jobs disappeared may need to think about their next job and need to be upskilled. Or young folks, how do we make sure they have the right skills that meet the moment?”
“What the AI revolution is going to mean for us, for a whole number of jobs,” is something the FCC has talked about with the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, Starks said. The FCC, along with NTIA, is part of a telecom interagency working group looking at workforce needs.
WIA also hosted an industry panel looking at telecom workforce needs. Look for that coverage in our next issue.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
Reader Interactions