As the pandemic boosted our reliance on the internet, it also clearly spelled out the disparities between those who had broadband access and those that did not. Despite internet quickly becoming essential for work, school and healthcare — many people in the U.S. remained unconnected
These inequities prompted the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the largest investment in internet expansion in the U.S.’s history, pouring over $42 billion into bringing the infrastructure to the unconnected. But among its many bureaucratic hurdles, a larger barrier became evident: not enough people to do the work.
It's true. There aren’t enough staffed skilled workers to build and maintain these deployments. And like many other trade professions, demand for these jobs are continuing to rise.
Among them is the broadband technician. They help install and maintain networks in businesses, schools, homes and more. Depending on the company, working as a broadband technician can pay quite well, and the barriers to entry are far less daunting than they may initially seem.
Here are some of the most essential skills that can help you make a living out of a job that is on a serious hiring frenzy, and — like plumbing or electrical work — isn’t getting replaced by AI anytime soon:
Basic knowledge of how broadband internet works
Being a broadband tech requires a basic technical knowledge on how the internet is brought to a doorstep. But establishing proficiency here doesn’t require a master’s degree. In fact, a GED and interest in the technology will be enough to get your foot in the door.
While there are several technologies used in the job, there is an increasing focus on fiber optics to connect people — which transmits data through light traveling through tiny strands of glass.
Learning about how these technologies work and the basics of how they are installed for end users are the critical knowledge base of the work. The Broadband Nation training portal offers a variety of educational sources that will help you gear up before applying to jobs.
Due to the extreme need for technicians, some companies will be hiring people without any background training or certification.
While this is a quick way in, it’s also where it becomes important to assess whether they are going to invest in your growth and that they aren’t only looking for another body to build their network.
In an interview with Broadband Nation, industry vet Brian Schrand advised, “When you hire on with an employer and you're doing on-the-job training, I would encourage you to ask if they do any type of investment in their technicians, into their people.”
Understanding the ins and outs of broadband won't only make you better at the job, it will set you up for promotions and specialties that can be even more lucrative.
As one broadband technical trainer Kelly Weissmann urged, “Invest in yourself and go learn. Get a head start on it because you don't know what [employers] are gonna provide to you when you get there.”
Solving puzzles and hands-on problems
Ever experienced that blast of gratification from completing a hands-on task? That Lego-like satisfaction of piecing together a puzzle? That process is at the heart of the broadband tech work.
From running fiber or coaxial cables along houses to signal testing connectivity, the job is all about problem solving.
Britni Cuington, a current broadband technician, said to us in an interview, “If you want to get down to the bottom of it, this is a perfect job for you because there are going to be plenty of opportunities for you to figure out puzzles. I love puzzles. And every job is a puzzle to me, so I just eat this stuff up.”
And these puzzles often work with more wires and cables than you might be expecting in our seemingly wireless digital world.
“Everyone thinks of wireless, but anything that is transmitting that wireless signal has to be wired. Every cell tower is wired to a pole, every router is wired to something," said another technician, Nick Hoh. "Knowing how to run wire and do it neatly — hiding it in plain sight so it doesn’t look like somebody just threw a box of wire on the side of the house — that really would be super beneficial" for newcomers to understand.
Grasping the basic ins and outs of the internet is an important first step, but being able to apply it to real-world spaces and issues is critical.
The people component: balancing tech and talk
Like its more established trade counterparts, broadband technician work is a technical craft focused on helping people — and that means a lot of direct face time with them.
Along with the technical tool-based tasks are the impressions you make on people and your ability to communicate with them. Weissmann reasoned, “You really are the face of your company when you're out working in the field.”
While for some people that may be anxiety inducing, as you settle into the social aspect of the work, it can also be what makes it the most personally rewarding — even next to the cerebral satisfaction of solving a hands-on puzzle.
Keith Busby said “People come out, and they're just happy to see you, happy to know that you're out there working and that you're hooking their services back up,” he reflected — some going so far as to offer food, money and random gifts of gratitude.
And that gratitude only grows in events like natural disasters. Schrand recalled a time when a hurricane swept through Florida and wiped out numerous communities' connections. “We would get on a plane with all of our tools and fly to Florida and start building a network,” he recalled. “And since we were all educated to the same standard, we built networks for all these people that lost everything. To me, there’s no job more rewarding than that.”
Whether for homeowners, local businesses or schools, being able to work with people adds a personal touch to the technical tasks at hand.
Angel Benally, for example, works as a Tribal Affairs Specialist. "Everything I do is working with Tribal Nations, bringing them connectivity, and that's so rewarding.” While she herself isn’t installing the technology, technicians are a key part in the process.
“I get to wake up every day and feel like I'm actually making a difference,” she said.
Continuous learning curve: staying open-minded and willing to learn
While again it can feel like the barriers in broadband internet are technological, all of them are quite easily overcome with an interest to learn, according to both experienced technicians and industry employers who've climbed their way up the ladder.
Despite being a physical job, Cuington countered that broadband tech work isn’t all that arduous. "Yeah, you will get dirty, but it’s really not that hard... the job really is not hard," she said.
Even beyond the current surge in demand for the role, many employers in broadband will look foremost for the drive to learn and adapt with the evolution of technology.
One industry mogul named Trent Edwards, who climbed his way up the broadband ladder, explained to us that, “Certification is great, but I think where you learn the most in this industry is being around it and having the desire to learn and work."
Edwards is a former broadband construction worker and currently CEO of Mears Broadband. When they look to hire, they don’t look at certification as guaranteed competency. They are far more interested in a candidate’s commitment to learning about adapting with the trades and the industry.
“If you have a desire, we can teach you anything,” he said. “If you're willing to put in sweat equity and show up on time, sky's the limit for your career.”