FCC’s Carr Calls for Initiative on Community Colleges as Pipelines for 5G Jobs

During a visit to the Tower Installation Program at Aiken Technical College FCC Commissioner Branden Carr delivered remarks on ensuring the United States has the skilled workforce in place to build next-gen wireless networks and win the race to 5G. In particular, he identified the need for more Telecom Tower Technicians (known as “TTT-1”s) and how the U.S. can achieve that goal by expanding on Aiken’s model program.  He said, in part: “A skilled workforce is essential to winning the race to 5G and building next-gen networks in communities across the country… Here at Aiken Tech, Gemma Frock and her team have built a seven-week program that provides climbers with the right mix of physical, safety, and technical skills to land a good-paying job in this field. It’s time we build on the success here at Aiken and stand up similar tower training programs in community colleges and technical schools throughout the U.S. Doing so will address our country’s need for more TTT-1 certified workers and help close the skills gap by turning our country’s community colleges into pipelines for 5G jobs.”

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The Regulatory Mix Today:  FCC’s Carr Calls for Initiative on Community Colleges as Pipelines for 5G Jobs, US Senate Hearing on IOT, California PUC to Hold Broadband Access Workshop

US Senate Hearing on IOT

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, chairman of the Subcommittee on Security, announced the subcommittee will convene a hearing titled, “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of the Internet of Things,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The hearing will examine the security threats and challenges posed by the Internet of Things (IoT), and ways to incentivize building more cybersecurity by design into connected devices and the networks that support them. The hearing will also examine the importance of 5G network security to connected devices and the manner in which the federal government, businesses community, and consumers can promote and support increased IoT cybersecurity.

California PUC to Hold Broadband Access Workshop

The California PUC announced that it would hold a workshop on expanding access to broadband on April 29, 2019.  The workshop will focus on consulting with local governments, broadband providers, consumers, and other stakeholders on cost-effective strategies for expanding broadband access in unserved areas of the state.  This workshop is part of the PUC’s implementation of The Internet for All Now Act.  Assembly Bill (AB) 1665 was passed in October 2017, expanding access to broadband throughout the state of California. The law reforms the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) and requires the Commission to conduct public workshops on cost-effective strategies for providing broadband access to unserved parts of the state.

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.