For Marcus Chambers, a broadband technical specialist, one of the best aspects of working in the industry is digging into the digital details of a network and seeing it “from the inside out.”
While the customer view may be limited to the end-user hardware — from fiber cables to routers — his work “is the technology that provides that to you,” he explained to us in an interview.
He started as a network technician back when copper-based digital subscriber lines (DSL) were the latest and greatest thing, and he says while the technology has continued to advance rapidly, the process for the work has stayed relatively consistent.
When a customer has an issue with a network, they may first call a broadband support representative to help with early troubleshooting and possible fixes. When the issue persists, a broadband technician is typically dispatched to take a deeper look.
Sometimes this can reveal issues beyond just the physical infrastructure on the property where the outage is. This is where Chambers can come in and look at the network itself — cracking into the nitty-gritty broadband backend to provide a software-centric perspective.
“If you want to get into a job where you can just put your brain on cruise control and let it ride, you might want to look somewhere else,” said Chambers. “If you like technology, get into this. If you're a person who embraces change and advancement, this is where you want to be.”
Network collaboration
Like many roles in and out of broadband, Chambers worked in an office until 2020, when everything shifted remote — and it's been that way ever since.
“The commute is awesome,” he said. “I've never had any complaints about what's in the cafeteria that day.” Yet even working from home, the job can be quite collaborative (thanks to broadband).
Typically, he starts his day by diving into a work pool, which consists of different network issues in need of troubleshooting, or being assigned to a particular problem.
Having moved beyond simple modem restarts and battery changes, these issues may be with data transmissions and network outages. In the process of diagnostics and troubleshooting, Chambers says he often calls other field technicians and support reps to work together on sourcing the network’s problem and figuring out solutions.
“Working with those techs that have the hands-on eye view, their perspective helps me learn a little bit,” he said, just as he is able to help them on the software side. “Because this stuff is ever evolving and changing and improving.”
Keeping pace with an industry of change
According to Chambers, new technology on Monday is practically passé by Friday, so it’s essential to have a mind open for perpetual learning.
“It is a constant cycle of changing, updating and improvement,” he reasoned. “You've got to keep up with the technology. You’ve got to keep up with whatever the new policies or practices are. There are certain certifications you have to keep up with.”
Even in a role that isn’t directly end-user facing, he must be aware of customer privacy rights and protecting data and information confidentiality with all documents and network tickets.
“You need to know coming into this industry, it's ever evolving," he added. "There's always something changing, there's always something new, and you need to keep up your skill set and information knowledge with it.”
With all the fast-paced changes and advancements in the industry, one thing that provides a nice bedrock of consistency from Chambers’ perspective is the union support of his job.
He explained that not only does it provide a consistent layout of pay increase and benefits, but it offers support for everything from best work practices to backing on workplace conflicts.
Phrases like “just go ahead and do it” and “this is just how things are here” will not rationalize inappropriate, dangerous or wrongful expectations, he exemplified, saying that the strength of union advocacy promotes healthier interactions with managers and bosses.
“You’re not alone,” said Chambers.
At the forefront of the digital divide
Especially when working in broadband is all about keeping people connected, Chambers finds one of the most discouraging aspects of his job to be the digital divide itself.
As someone who works with the infrastructure every day — even from the backend — he is acutely aware of how essential it has become in everyone's’ lives.
“We need to realize that this is a necessity,” he expressed. “It's not just entertainment like it used to be years ago when it first came on the scene and it's this new shiny toy, you know. It's a necessity.”
Be it access to the technology or being able to afford what’s accessible, the reality is millions of people still don't have adequate broadband in the United States alone — moreover the world.
“I do like that the awareness is now out there," he noted. "The pandemic brought a spotlight on to that like it's never been before and there are there are efforts to correct that issue,” such as initiatives like the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
“And I’m actually a part of that effort,” Chambers said. “I don't like where it is, but I like where it appears to be heading.”