UPDATE The Senate Commerce Committee passed and sent to the full Senate this week the Improving Minority Participants and Careers in Telecommunications Act (IMPACT Act). The measure was included in the Endless Frontiers Act.
The bill sponsors are: Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Tim Scott (R-SC). They say the IMPACT Act will provide opportunities for underrepresented Americans to learn skills that will lead to employment in the telecommunications industry.
The legislation would create a $100 million grant program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA would award grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions to develop job training programs to educate and train students to participate in the telecommunications workforce.
Wireless Infrastructure Association President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein stated: “We are especially pleased that the bill recognizes the contributions of Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program, a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program, to ensuring safety and quality in deploying world-class wireless networks. As we build the wireless workforce of the future, the IMPACT Act will help to ensure inclusivity and diversity, while also helping to meet demand for skilled telecommunications workers.”
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