Tell the Federal Government to Support Fiber Deployment + Good Jobs

 

New York was in line to receive millions of dollars in federal funding for fiber deployment through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. This would’ve expanded broadband access in underserved areas across NYS, and help create more work for CWA members and more union jobs. But the federal government changed the rules in order to redirect the funding. 

 

 

Our Broadband Brigade, made up of telecom workers from CWA Locals throughout New York, has been working for years to make sure New Yorkers have access to affordable broadband and to create good union jobs statewide through the BEAD program.

 

The Brigade has had major successes along the way – we passed legislation to ensure this work is subject to strong labor standards, pays prevailing wage, and preferences fiber technology; we won labor-friendly language in the regulations determining which companies win funding bids; and we secured 21 letters of support for our employers from county governments across New York.

 

However, the federal government has completely rigged the program to favor Satellite by removing the preference for fiber, eliminating the labor standards we fought for and won, and requiring the funding go to the “lowest cost” bidder. Because of these changes, New York’s latest plan gives 25% of the work to Elon Musk’s Starlink and has Verizon only building out fiber to roughly 4,000 locations — just 7.5%.