Verizon to hire 1,800 techs for East Coast broadband expansion

Verizon is hiring 1,800 additional technicians to support its East Coast broadband expansion efforts in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington (DC). Many of the targeted markets are rural and traditionally underserved communities, and so they qualify for funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The American Rescued Plan lowered one of the biggest barriers to closing the digital divide — it is simply too expensive to put in the infrastructure that the return on investment takes too long or is simply non-existent, network operators have said. However, with the sector now flush with cash, another challenge emerged: finding the fiber technicians to do the job. Therefore, Verizon’s focus on training and hiring field technicians makes perfect sense. The new Verizon jobs are union positions, represented by the Communications Workers of America or International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and are expected to be filled by July 2026.