NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, wrote to the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee to express the association’s support for the confirmation of Jessica Rosenworcel as Chairwoman of the FCC. The letter, shared with Inside Towers, was sent after her nomination hearing this week for a second five-year term at the agency.
In the letter to Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS), NATE President/CEO Todd Schlekeway, Legislative Affairs Director Jim Goldwater and Government Relations Director Todd Washam said during her tenure at the agency, “Rosenworcel has demonstrated sound leadership, a keen command of critical communications issues, and a firm commitment to preserving and expanding the nation’s essential communications capabilities. She continues to be a strong proponent of the telecommunications industry and the essential services our industry provides.”
The NATE executives were especially pleased she highlighted many of the association’s top priorities in her testimony before the Commerce Committee earlier this year. Those include issues such as ensuring connectivity for all Americans, updating broadband maps, closing the digital divide and securing the nation’s leadership in 5G deployment.
“NATE has met with her office to discuss pressing issues, such as our industry’s significant workforce shortage that threatens to jeopardize the ability to meet our national broadband deployment goals, improve public safety, enhance national security, promote the use of telehealth services and maintain hundreds of thousands of existing communications towers,” wrote Schlekeway, Goldwater and Washam. They describe Rosenworcel and her staff as “thoughtful and competent” and have expressed a “great willingness to collaborate with our subject matter experts” to help advance mutual priorities.
NATE also expressed appreciation for the support of the committee, noting that NATE Chairman Jimmy Miller, who is also president of MillerCo Inc. in Gulfport, MS, testified before the committee last year on the workforce shortage in the telecom industry and other obstacles to 5G deployment.
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