Labor

The people who work in the communications industries.

T-Mobile cuts its workforce by 7 percent, about 5,000 jobs

T-Mobile announced to its employees that it is planning to reduce its workforce by about 7%, which equates to about 5,000 jobs. In a letter sent to employees, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert wrote that the cuts will impact employees in locations across the country, primarily in corporate and back-office, and some technology roles. This round of cuts will not affect retail and consumer care employees. “After this process is complete, I do not envision any additional widespread company reductions again in the foreseeable future,” wrote Sievert.

Can Congress fill the broadband labor pool?

In 2023, American employers were anticipated to need an additional 500,000 positions across all construction industries on top of normal hiring levels.

BEAD waiver information coming this summer, NTIA says

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it will release a draft of its requirements for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program spending later in summer 2023, which is expected to include limited exceptions to “Build America, Buy America” rules. The “Buy America” rules require states spend the majority of their federal dollars received through the $42.5 billion BEAD program on American-made materials.

BEAD Buy America Goals Get a Boost from Adtran

Adtran will invest up to $5 million in its Huntsville, Alabama, manufacturing facility to support domestic manufacturing of fiber broadband equipment.

The Impact of Remote Work

Working from home became necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey done by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research during May of 2020, 42% of all US workers worked from home and accounted for two-thirds of the nation’s gross domestic product. Therefore, work from home has become a feasible economic development strategy at the onset of COVID-19. This study gauges the contribution of workers from home in Indiana in 2021 by using the Regional Economic Modeling, Inc. (REMI) general equilibrium model.

Build a BEAD Buffer

Build a buffer is Shelby Pardy’s advice to operators thinking of participating in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Pardy, an analyst for Vantage Point Solutions, points out this is more than budgeting extra dollars for inflationary pressures.

Guide to Careers in Rural Telecommunications

This booklet shows the job opportunities in your rural telecommunications company. These positions are not from a specific company and titles vary from company to company, but the job titles and descriptions provide an idea of the various roles at a rural telecommunications company. Often positions at telecommunications companies can allow a person to remain in their rural community. Typically, companies are willing to train new employees to develop skills needed for the industry.

Biden-⁠Harris Administration High-Speed Internet Investments Spur Made-in-America Manufacturing Boom

In Wisconsin, Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Nokia and Sanmina Corporation in Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha County, Wisconsin to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to invest in high-speed internet, boost domestic manufacturing, and create good jobs.

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Announces Onshoring of Broadband Electronics Equipment

Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo traveled to Kenosha, WI, to celebrate the announcement of new electronics equipment production in the US made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Investing in America” agenda. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) requires the use of Made-in-America materials and products for federally funded infrastructure projects, including high-speed Internet service deployment under the Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.

Remarks by Vice President Harris on Efforts to Invest in High-Speed Internet, Boost Domestic Manufacturing, and Create Jobs

Senator [Tammy] Baldwin (D-WI) and I served together in the United States Senate. And it is, indeed, with her help, all across Wisconsin, that President Joe Biden and I have been able to create jobs, expand opportunity, and strengthen American manufacturing. We are here to discuss our continuation of that work. Take, for example, our work on high-speed Internet. In America in the 21st century, high-speed Internet is not a luxury.