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![handle is hein.crs/govejzn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service
Informingj the Ieg~Iative debate since 1914
Updated December 30, 2022
Bridging the Digital Divide: Broadband Workforce
Considerations for the 118th Congress
As classrooms, workplaces, and social activities migrated
online during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic, the digital divide-the gap between those who
have access to broadband (i.e., high-speed internet) and
those who do not-highlighted the importance of
broadband availability. The Federal Communications
Commission's (FCC's) Fourteenth Broadband Deployment
Report released in January 2021 estimates that 14.5 million
Americans lack access to broadband-which the FCC
defines as a connection that provides speeds of at least 25/3
megabits per second (Mbps). Since March 2020, Congress
has provided $78 billion to address the digital divide and
broadband availability. More specifically, Congress passed
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
(CARES Act; P.L. 116-136), which provides $100 million
for broadband programs at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA);
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021;
P.L. 116-260), which provides $6.2 billion for broadband
programs at the FCC, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), and USDA;
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA; P.L. 117-
2), which provides $7.2 billion for broadband programs at
the FCC; and
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-
58), which provides $64.4 billion for broadband programs
at the FCC, NTIA, and USDA.
There may be workforce challenges associated with the
broadband deployment projects funded under the laws
above-particularly with the $64.4 billion provided in the
IIJA. Identifying current and future broadband workforce
needs may be a consideration for the 118th Congress.
This In Focus describes the broadband workforce and
potential challenges, including varying stakeholder
perspectives on the sufficiency of the existing workforce;
summarizes selected broadband workforce legislation
enacted by the 117th Congress; and provides further
considerations for Congress.
Broadband Workforce and Potential
Challenges
Broadband Deployment Geographical Constraints
Many unserved areas without access to broadband have
geographic features (e.g., mountain range) that make
serving them challenging. Achieving broadband coverage
nationwide will require workers with the skills to install
networks across many types of terrain. Broadband
workforce training may require a focus on adaptability and
scalability for different deployment areas and technologies.
Broadband service is most commonly delivered to end-
users at a particular location (e.g., household) at a fixed
point-known as fixed broadband-through cable and fiber
technologies, rather than mobile broadband delivered to
devices often through a cellular network. According to the
FCC's 2020 Communications Marketplace Report, cable
broadband can reach 88.8% and fiber 40.7% of U.S.
households. To deploy fiber or cable, technicians lay
conduit underground or between poles, splice and join the
conduit, and connect the conduit to network equipment
such as routers and end-use modems.
Broadband Workforce Training
Broadband workforce training is typically conducted on-
the-job or through apprenticeship programs that combine
on-the-job training and coursework. The federal
government has supported broadband workforce training.
For example, the Telecommunications Industry Registered
Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP)-which focuses on
developing apprenticeship programs for training and career
development of the telecommunications workforce-was
created by telecommunications employers and is recognized
by the Department of Labor.
States also play a role in broadband workforce development
by establishing job training programs. For example, in
September 2021, the Ohio Lieutenant Governor announced
a new program to train students as fiber optic technicians as
part of a state effort to ...outline[s] a plan for increasing
broadband industry career awareness and creating more
training and education programs in the state.
The federal government and states could consider working
together on broadband workforce training. A February 2022
report prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce and
U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Assessment of
the Critical Supply Chains Supporting the U.S. Information
and Communications Technology Industry recommended
that states develop and fund programs to attract and train
the broadband workforce through their allocation of the
$42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment
(BEAD) program funded in the IIJA.
Varying Stakeholder Perspectives on the Existing
Broadband Workforce
There are differing perspectives on whether broadband
workforce shortages will pose a challenge to closing the
digital divide. Some stakeholders contend shortages may
hinder broadband deployment. For example, the Broadband
Deployment Advisory Committee-a (no longer active)
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