NTIA’s Internet for All Initiative & A Workforce to Connect America

The Fiber Broadband Association is pleased to announce Fiber for Breakfast Week 49: NTIA’s Internet for All Initiative & A Workforce to Connect America.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new Workforce Planning Guide for states and territories to use when planning high-speed Internet deployment projects. The Internet for All initiative's Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program contains workforce requirements that grant recipients and subgrantees must meet when implementing their projects. This guide is part of NTIA’s obligation to provide technical assistance materials those entities need to meet the workforce requirements and promote a skilled workforce. The guide may also be helpful for entities participating in other Internet for All programs like the Digital Equity Planning Grant program and the Middle Mile program.

The Workforce Planning Guide lays out strategies and examples for meeting our funding’s requirements and ensuring a skilled, competitive, and diverse workforce.

• Components of a Workforce Plan for the BEAD Program
• Developing a BEAD Workforce Plan, including proposed planning steps and pacing suggestions for completing BEAD submissions and key integration points with the Digital Equity Program
• Strategies and Examples that offer a range of approaches for meeting workforce requirements
• Additional Resources to support workforce planning and implementation

Tune in to this session with Lucy Moore, Special Policy Advisor at NTIA, to learn more and for an in-depth discussion.