Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act

II Calendar No. 194 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 163 To address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 2, 2021 Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. TESTER, Mr. PETERS, Mr. WICKER, Mr. MORAN, and Mr. WARNOCK) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans- portation DECEMBER 16, 2021 Reported by Ms. CANTWELL, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telecommunications 4 Skilled Workforce Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 163 RS SEC. 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORKING 1 GROUP. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part I of title III of the Commu- 3 nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended 4 by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘SEC. 344. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORK- 6 ING GROUP. 7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 8 ‘‘(1) 5G.—The term ‘5G’, with respect to wire- 9 less infrastructure and wireless technology, means 10 fifth-generation wireless infrastructure and wireless 11 technology. 12 ‘‘(2) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 13 means any area other than— 14 ‘‘(A) a city, town, or incorporated area 15 that has a population of more than 20,000 in- 16 habitants; or 17 ‘‘(B) an urbanized area adjacent to a city 18 or town that has a population of more than 19 50,000 inhabitants. 20 ‘‘(3) TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY 21 WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘telecommunications 22 interagency working group’ means the interagency 23 working group established under subsection (b). 24 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 25 the date of enactment of this section, the Chairman of 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 163 RS the Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of 1 Labor, shall establish within the Commission an inter- 2 agency working group to develop recommendations to ad- 3 dress the workforce needs of the telecommunications in- 4 dustry. 5 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—In developing recommendations under 6 subsection (b), the telecommunications interagency work- 7 ing group shall— 8 ‘‘(1) determine whether, and if so how, any 9 Federal laws (including regulations), guidance, poli- 10 cies, or practices, or any budgetary constraints, in- 11 hibit institutions of higher education (as defined in 12 section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 13 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) or for-profit businesses from es- 14 tablishing, adopting, or expanding programs in- 15 tended to address the workforce needs of the tele- 16 communications industry, including the workforce 17 needed to build and maintain the 5G wireless infra- 18 structure necessary to support 5G wireless tech- 19 nology; 20 ‘‘(2) identify potential policies and programs 21 that could encourage and improve coordination 22 among Federal agencies, between Federal agencies 23 and States, and among States, on telecommuni- 24 cations workforce needs; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 163 RS ‘‘(3) identify ways in which existing Federal 1 programs, including programs that help facilitate the 2 employment of veterans and military personnel 3 transitioning into civilian life, could be leveraged to 4 help address the workforce needs of the tele- 5 communications industry; 6 ‘‘(4) identify ways to encourage individuals and 7 for-profit businesses to participate in qualified in- 8 dustry-led workforce development programs, includ- 9 ing the Telecommunications Industry Registered Ap- 10 prenticeship Program; 11 ‘‘(5) identify ways to improve recruitment in 12 qualified industry-led workforce development pro- 13 grams, including the Telecommunications Industry 14 Registered Apprenticeship Program and other indus- 15 try-recognized apprenticeship programs; and 16 ‘‘(6) identify Federal incentives that could be 17 provided to institutions of higher education, for-prof- 18 it businesses, State workforce development boards 19 established under section 101 of the Workforce In- 20 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111), or 21 other relevant stakeholders to establish or adopt pro- 22 grams, or expand current programs, to address the 23 workforce needs of the telecommunications industry, 24 including such needs in rural areas. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 163 RS ‘‘(d) MEMBERS.—The telecommunications inter- 1 agency working group shall be composed of representatives 2 of such Federal agencies and relevant non-Federal indus- 3 try stakeholder organizations as the Chairman of the 4 Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, 5 considers appropriate, including— 6 ‘‘(1) a representative of the Department of 7 Education, appointed by the Secretary of Education; 8 ‘‘(2) a representative of the National Tele- 9 communications and Information Administration, 10 appointed by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce 11 for Communications and Information; 12 ‘‘(3) a representative of the Department of 13 Commerce, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce; 14 ‘‘(4) a representative of the Commission, ap- 15 pointed by the Chairman of the Commission; 16 ‘‘(5) a representative of the Telecommuni- 17 cations Industry Registered Apprenticeship Pro- 18 gram, appointed by the Secretary of Labor; 19 ‘‘(6) a representative of a telecommunications 20 industry association, appointed by the Chairman of 21 the Commission; 22 ‘‘(7) a representative of an Indian Tribe or 23 Tribal organization, appointed by the Secretary of 24 Labor; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 163 RS ‘‘(8) a representative of a rural telecommuni- 1 cations carrier, appointed by the Chairman of the 2 Commission; 3 ‘‘(9) a representative of a telecommunications 4 contractor firm, appointed by the Chairman of the 5 Commission; 6 ‘‘(10) a representative of a minority institution 7 (as defined in section 365 of the Higher Education 8 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k)), appointed by the 9 Secretary of Education; and 10 ‘‘(11) a representative of a labor organization, 11 appointed by the Secretary of Labor. 12 ‘‘(e) NO COMPENSATION.—A member of the tele- 13 communications interagency working group shall serve 14 without compensation. 15 ‘‘(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 16 days after the date on which the telecommunications inter- 17 agency working group is established, the working group 18 shall submit a report containing recommendations to ad- 19 dress the workforce needs of the telecommunications in- 20 dustry to— 21 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 22 Transportation of the Senate; 23 ‘‘(2) the Committee on Health, Education, 24 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 163 RS ‘‘(3) the Committee on Energy and Commerce 1 of the House of Representatives; and 2 ‘‘(4) the Committee on Education and Labor of 3 the House of Representatives. 4 ‘‘(g) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal 5 Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 6 to the telecommunications interagency working group.’’. 7 (b) SUNSET.—Section 344 of the Communications 8 Act of 1934, as added by subsection (a), shall be repealed 9 on the day after the date on which the interagency work- 10 ing group established under subsection (b) of that section 11 submits the report to Congress under subsection (f) of 12 that section. 13 SEC. 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKFORCE GUIDANCE. 14 Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 15 of this Act, the Chairman of the Federal Communications 16 Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, 17 shall establish and issue guidance on how States can ad- 18 dress the workforce needs of the telecommunications in- 19 dustry, including guidance on how a State workforce de- 20 velopment board established under section 101 of the 21 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 22 3111) can— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 163 RS (1) utilize Federal resources available to States 1 to meet the workforce needs of the telecommuni- 2 cations industry; and 3 (2) promote and improve recruitment in quali- 4 fied industry-led workforce development programs, 5 including the Telecommunications Industry Reg- 6 istered Apprenticeship Program. 7 SEC. 4. GAO ASSESSMENT OF WORKFORCE NEEDS OF THE 8 TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY. 9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 10 (1) 5G.—The term ‘‘5G’’, with respect to wire- 11 less infrastructure and wireless technology, means 12 fifth-generation wireless infrastructure and wireless 13 technology. 14 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 15 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 16 mittees’’ means— 17 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 18 and Transportation of the Senate; 19 (B) the Committee on Health, Education, 20 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 21 (C) the Committee on Energy and Com- 22 merce of the House of Representatives; and 23 (D) the Committee on Education and 24 Labor of the House of Representatives. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 163 RS (3) BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 1 ‘‘broadband infrastructure’’ means any buried, un- 2 derground, or aerial facility, and any wireless or 3 wireline connection, that enables users to send and 4 receive voice, video, data, graphics, or any combina- 5 tion thereof. 6 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 7 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 8 United States shall submit to the appropriate congres- 9 sional committees a report that estimates the number of 10 skilled telecommunications workers that will be required 11 to build and maintain— 12 (1) broadband infrastructure in rural areas; 13 and 14 (2) the 5G wireless infrastructure needed to 15 support 5G wireless technology. 16 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 17 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telecommunications 18 Skilled Workforce Act’’. 19 SEC. 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORKING 20 GROUP. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part I of title III of the Commu- 22 nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended 23 by adding at the end the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 163 RS ‘‘SEC. 344. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORKING 1 GROUP. 2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘tele- 3 communications interagency working group’ means the 4 interagency working group established under subsection 5 (b)(1). 6 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 8 the date of enactment of this section, the Chairman of 9 the Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of 10 Labor, shall establish within the Commission an 11 interagency working group to develop recommenda- 12 tions to address the workforce needs of the tele- 13 communications industry, including the safety of that 14 workforce. 15 ‘‘(2) DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT.—The tele- 16 communications interagency working group shall be 17 considered established on the date on which a major- 18 ity of the members of the telecommunications inter- 19 agency working group have been appointed, consistent 20 with subsection (d). 21 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—In developing recommendations under 22 subsection (b), the telecommunications interagency working 23 group shall— 24 ‘‘(1) determine whether, and if so how, any Fed- 25 eral laws, regulations, guidance, policies, or practices, 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 163 RS or any budgetary constraints, inhibit institutions of 1 higher education (as defined in section 101 of the 2 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) or 3 for-profit businesses from establishing, adopting, or 4 expanding programs intended to address the work- 5 force needs of the telecommunications industry, in- 6 cluding the workforce needed to build and maintain 7 the 5G wireless infrastructure necessary to support 8 5G wireless technology; 9 ‘‘(2) identify potential policies and programs 10 that could encourage and improve coordination 11 among Federal agencies, between Federal agencies 12 and States, and among States, on telecommunications 13 workforce needs; 14 ‘‘(3) identify ways in which existing Federal 15 programs, including programs that help facilitate the 16 employment of veterans and military personnel 17 transitioning into civilian life, could be leveraged to 18 help address the workforce needs of the telecommuni- 19 cations industry; 20 ‘‘(4) identify ways to encourage individuals and 21 for-profit businesses to participate in qualified indus- 22 try-led workforce development programs, including 23 the Telecommunications Industry Registered Appren- 24 ticeship Program; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Dec 17, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S163.RS S163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 163 RS ‘‘(5) identify ways to improve recruitment in 1 qualified industry-led workforce development pro- 2 grams, including the Telecommunications Industry 3 Registered Apprenticeship Program and other indus- 4 try-recognized apprenticeship programs; 5 ‘‘(6) identify Federal incentives that could be 6 provided to institutions of higher education, for-profit 7 businesses, State workforce development boards estab- 8 lished under section 101 of the Workforce Innovation 9 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111), or other rel- 10 evant stakeholders to establish or adopt new pro- 11 grams, or expand current programs, to address the 12 workforce needs of the telecommunications industry, 13 including such needs in rural areas; and 14 ‘‘(7) identify ways [Text truncated for display. 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