June 11, 2019

Arlington, Va. – Earlier today, Reps. Doris Matsui and Brett Guthrie, co-chairs of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus, sent a letter to Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta emphasizing the need for a trained 5G workforce to ensure U.S. leadership in the deployment of next-generation wireless services.

“I applaud the leadership and vision of Reps. Matsui and Guthrie on 5G workforce issues, and I thank them for sending this exceptional letter to Secretary Acosta. For the U.S. to win the global race to 5G, it is imperative to equip a workforce with the necessary skills to efficiently deploy 5G networks,” said WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “We cannot let the lack of a trained workforce slow the path to 5G, and this letter acutely addresses key steps necessary to produce a trained 5G workforce. The Department of Labor will play an important role in this mission, as the letter states. WIA has been actively working to address wireless training issues through the only apprenticeship program focused on 5G workforce development, the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), of which WIA serves as the National Sponsor.”

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Contact:
Amy-Gabrielle Bartolac, Public Affairs Manager
703-621-0527
Amy-Gabrielle.Bartolac@wia.org