Media Contact:
Greg Watson, (202) 418-0658 
gregory.watson@fcc.gov
 
For Immediate Release






Carr Applauds Legislation to Expand 5G Workforce

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2021—Today, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr applauded legislation introduced in the Senate that would provide funding to expand the skilled workforce needed to close the digital divide and advance U.S. leadership in 5G. 
The Improving Minority Participation and Careers in Telecommunications (IMPACT) Act, introduced by Senators Wicker, Sinema, and Scott (SC), would create a grant program at NTIA to award funding to HBCUs, tribal colleges, and other institutions to develop telecommunications job-training programs. 
“By modernizing our country’s infrastructure rules, America is now home to the strongest 5G platform in the world.  Internet providers are adding new cell sites and installing fiber at an unprecedented pace, fueling a demand for more skilled workers.  Meeting this demand will advance our 5G leadership and create thousands of new jobs at a time when so many Americans are relying on the Internet to work from home and utilize telehealth,” said Carr.  “I applaud Senator Wicker and his colleagues for their leadership in taking on this workforce challenge and introducing legislation that would help create thousands of good-paying jobs while closing the digital divide and advancing our 5G leadership.” 
Carr leads a 5G jobs initiative aimed at standing up tower tech training programs through community colleges and trade schools. Those programs have now been launched in South Carolina, South Dakota, North Carolina, and Oklahoma and more trade school programs are in the works. 
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Office of Commissioner Brendan Carr: (202) 418-2200
www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/brendan-carr