Federal Communications Commission	DA 19-241


DA 19-241
Released:  April 1, 2019

FCC SOLICITS NOMINATIONS FOR NEW WORKING GROUP OF THE BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOCUSED ON JOB SKILLS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT WORKFORCE

GN Docket No. 17-83

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) solicits nominations for membership on a new Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Job Skills and Training Opportunities Working Group of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) (hereinafter, “Job Skills Working Group”).  This new working group will assist the BDAC in providing advice and recommendations to the Commission and other stakeholders on ways to make more widely available and improve job skills training and development opportunities for the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce.  The work of this new BDAC group will help further the Commission’s efforts to encourage the deployment of high-speed broadband to all Americans.
Nominations for membership on the BDAC’s Job Skills Working Group should be submitted to the FCC no later than April 15, 2019.  Nominees for membership on the BDAC need not reapply.  The Commission will automatically consider these existing nominees both for membership on the BDAC and for membership on the new Job Skills Working Group.  The Commission welcomes new nominations for individuals who wish to serve on the new Working Group, and procedures for submitting nominations are set forth below. 
The BDAC is organized under, and operates in accordance with, the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2.

  The BDAC’s mission is to make recommendations to the Commission on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access, or “broadband,” which will in turn enhance the Commission’s ability to carry out its statutory responsibility to encourage broadband deployment to all Americans. 
The BDAC’s Job Skills Working Group will be charged with identifying any gaps in broadband infrastructure deployment skills that could inhibit the pace of fixed and mobile broadband deployment across the country and with recommending scalable solutions to bridge any skills gaps and attract more skilled professionals to join the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce.  The Working Group will also be charged with identifying existing training programs that could serve as a model in addressing any skills gap issues and steps that could be taken to improve the effectiveness of such programs.

WHO MAY APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP 
The Commission seeks applications for this working group from across a broad spectrum of public and private organizations, governmental units, and individuals involved with or interested in improving job skills and training opportunities for the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce, including representatives from states and localities, industry, trade associations, academia, and other related stakeholders.  The Commission is particularly interested in receiving nominations and expressions of interest from individuals and organizations in the following categories that have experience with efforts to improve job skills and training opportunities for the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce:
· Federal, state, local, territorial and Tribal government agencies—which we encourage to nominate, for example, officials with experience facilitating the training of professionals involved in the deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure.
· Rural and urban Internet service providers that use licensed or unlicensed spectrum, fiber optics, copper wires, or coaxial cables, or any other means to offer high-speed broadband service—which we encourage to nominate, for example, individuals with experience in high-speed broadband infrastructure deployment or in training professionals involved in the deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure.
· Independent network builders, networking equipment installers, and original equipment manufacturers—which we encourage to nominate, for example, individuals with experience in high-speed broadband infrastructure deployment or in training professionals involved in the deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure. 
· Universities, colleges, trade schools, and other academic or training institutions—which we encourage to nominate, for example, individuals with experience and expertise in creating and implementing training programs designed to develop and enhance the job skills of professionals in the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce.
· Industry trade associations—which we encourage to nominate, for example, individuals with knowledge or expertise in deploying infrastructure for high-speed broadband or in facilitating the training of professionals involved in the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce. 
· Qualified representatives of other stakeholders and interested parties with experience on these issues whose participation would further the diversity and balance of this working group. 
Members will be selected to achieve balance in the expertise and viewpoints that are necessary to address effectively the issues to be considered by this working group.  Members nominated by specific entities or organizations to serve on the working group will be appointed as representatives of the entities or organizations that have nominated them.  As appropriate, members may also be appointed for their individual expertise as “special Government employees” as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 202(a).  Because working group members seeking to serve in their individual capacities as special Government employees due to their individual expertise may not be registered federal lobbyists, any such nominees who are registered federal lobbyists will not be considered for appointment on the working group.   	
OBLIGATIONS OF WORKING GROUP MEMBERS 
Members will serve at the discretion of the Chairman of the Commission.  Members must be willing to commit to serving on the working group until March 1, 2021, the date that the BDAC’s charter expires.  The time commitment for participation on this working group will be substantial.  However, the meetings will be conducted informally, using suitable technology to facilitate the meetings, subject to oversight by the Designated Federal Officer of the BDAC.  
APPLICATION PROCEDURE, DEADLINE AND MEMBER APPOINTMENTS
All nominations should be received by the Commission as soon as possible, but no later than April 15, 2019.
No specific nomination form is required; however, each nomination must include the following information:
· Name, title, and organization of the nominee and a description of the organization, sector or other interest the nominee will represent;
· Nominee’s mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number;
· A statement summarizing the nominee’s qualifications and reasons why the nominee should be appointed to the working group;
· A statement, if the nominee will represent a specific organization, describing the organization as well as the benefit of having the organization represented on the working group; and
· A statement confirming that the nominee, if seeking appointment for the individual’s expertise and not as a representative of an organization or entity, is not a registered federal lobbyist. 
For applicants seeking to represent an organization or company, the applicant’s nomination to the working group must be confirmed by an authorized person (e.g., organization or company official) that such organization or company wants the nominated person to represent it on the working group.  For example, this confirmation may be in the following format: “I am [insert official’s name], the [insert official’s title] at the [insert name of organization - e.g., company, government entity, trade association, etc.], with responsibilities for [concise description of position].  My organization would like [insert proposed member’s name], who is currently [an employee of/consultant/attorney to the company] to serve as our representative on the Commission’s Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Job Skills and Training Opportunities Working Group of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee.” 
Please note this Public Notice is not intended to be the exclusive method by which the Commission will solicit nominations to identify qualified candidates; however, all candidates for membership on the working group will be subject to the same evaluation criteria.
All nominations, including the requisite statements listed above, should be submitted by e-mail to BDAC@fcc.gov.  
 
   	ACCESSIBLE FORMATS
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).
For additional information about the BDAC’s Job Skills Working Group, please contact Paul D’Ari at 202-418-1550, or Paul.DAri@fcc.gov; or Justin Faulb at 202-418-1589, or Justin.Faulb@fcc.gov. 


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