How America’s Plans to Expand Broadband Could Be Hindered by Workforce Shortage

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, represents a singular commitment by the United States to significantly narrow the digital divide. But as states and internet service providers (ISPs) move toward building out BEAD-funded infrastructure, a projected shortage of communications workers could threaten to delay this historic effort. So far, 53 of 56 states and territories have submitted their BEAD final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and 18 are approved. But this is just the first step in a long implementation process that will require an adequate workforce.

A report from The Pew Charitable Trusts' broadband access initiative describes the anticipated increase in demand for skilled broadband workers and examines the barriers to expanding that workforce. The research indicates that if the shortages are left unresolved, BEAD's four-year construction timelines will become increasingly difficult to meet. State and federal leaders can analyze challenges caused by the shrinking pool of skilled workers and develop strategies that could avoid network construction delays in the future.

Industry projections highlight increased demand

According to a Government Accountability Office report, the fixed broadband workforce consists of approximately 477,700 workers, with an additional 88,600 involved in mobile broadband-a pool far below what the industry's analysis projects will be necessary for BEAD. Industry groups including the Fiber Broadband Association and the Power and Communications Contractor Association suggest that by 2032, the sector will require at least 58,000 new workers-including 28,000 construction jobs and 30,000 technician positions-to handle the demand created by BEAD and other federal broadband programs.

Further, because the existing workforce is aging, at least 120,000 additional workers will be needed to replace retirees. Approximately 20% of telecom workers are over 55, compared with just 8% in the 1970s. ISPs need a plan to identify specific skill shortages and build a robust pipeline for bringing in new workers.

Accurate data is necessary to identify specific needs

One key challenge in assessing workforce needs and developing strategies to fill gaps is inadequate data. For one thing, federal job classification systems do not define broadband workers consistently. States also lack uniform descriptions and reporting mechanisms for their own occupational data, meaning that state and federal data cannot be easily combined. Also, heavy reliance on contractors and subcontractors obscures accurate workforce tracking because contractor employers often work in more than one industry and are not always classified as telecommunications employers in federal data systems. The need for highly skilled professionals spans each phase of broadband development and includes construction roles such as heavy equipment operators and trenching crews as well as technicians who install fiber and maintain networks. Without better, more granular data, state broadband offices, employers, and educational institutions will be unable to accurately identify specific workforce needs and design a training pipeline or programs that are tailored to match what a particular region demands.

Rural reality and economic headwinds

The shortage of trained professionals is made worse by two other factors. First, BEAD projects will be heavily concentrated in rural communities; and second, training programs across all sectors, not just telecommunications, tend to prioritize local and regional job needs. Many of these training programs, particularly for high-skilled roles such as fiber splicing and specialized technician work, typically require one to two years. Because these communities lack existing broadband infrastructure, local workforce training programs are less likely to offer the specialized training ISPs require to hire new talent. At the same time, it's estimated that only 10% to 15% of telecom employees travel more than 200 miles for work, meaning that recruiting from urban or suburban hubs is not a reliable strategy to alleviate regional shortages in available workers. Taken together, these factors create recruitment deserts, leaving rural employers without a nearby pool of potential employees to draw from. If left unaddressed, deployment in the most isolated regions may face delays, cost increases, or both.

Adding to this complexity are economic pressures. Despite the high demand for broadband workers' skills, the median and low-end wages have remained stagnant, making the sector less competitive than other high-tech industries. That means entry-level workers are often lured away by higher-paying infrastructure sectors that also benefit from federal investment, such as transportation, energy, and water. Employers face a perpetual worry: investing significant time and money in training workers only to lose them to better offers from competitors or entirely different businesses. This cyclical loss of talent reinforces the need for both competitive wages and strategies to encourage long-term worker retention.

With 41 states and the District of Columbia already flagging workforce challenges in their initial broadband plans, it is clear that state policymakers cannot rely on pre-existing pipelines to meet demand. The success of the $42.5 billion BEAD program depends not only on deploying federal funding but also on people-the skilled workers who design, build, and maintain the networks that connect communities to opportunity. To prevent ambitious BEAD timelines from slipping, -which could delay projects and increase costs-states and industry leaders should partner with the private sector and workforce development organizations to assess specific job needs and expand, train, and sustain the broadband workforce.

Colby Humphrey and Lexi West lead research for The Pew Charitable Trusts' broadband access initiative.

This article first appeared on Broadband Breakfast on Nov. 24, 2025.