Broadband Brigade Members Turn Out to Protect Good, Union Jobs and Reliable Internet Service

Members of CWA’s Broadband Brigade are taking action across the country to defend the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and ensure that public infrastructure dollars are spent on high-quality, fiber-first broadband networks built by trained, experienced union workers.

Many states have had their broadband buildout proposals approved, and companies are lined up and ready to begin construction. But President Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, has proposed changes to the program that would require states to go back to the drawing board. These changes could force many rural residents onto more costly, less reliable satellite internet service. Satellite employs fewer workers, and there are currently no union-represented satellite internet providers.

Some Republican members of Congress have also proposed a major overhaul of the BEAD rules that would further delay rollout, including removing labor protections and wage requirements for buildout projects, which would direct more of the work to low-road contractors.

Nearly 17,000 CWA members and supporters across the country have signed petitions demanding that their elected representatives protect the fiber-first BEAD program without further costly delays.

In Arizona, CWA members and community supporters held a press conference to highlight their concerns. They delivered petitions to Governor Katie Hobbs supporting her commitment to fiber broadband and good union jobs and urged her to stay strong against pressure to change Arizona’s BEAD proposal. State Representative Stacey Travers (Phoenix), a U.S. Army veteran, recognized the importance of union workers to get the job done right and highlighted the security benefits of fiber internet. “Fiber broadband is the most secure form of infrastructure that we have right now,” Travers said. “Satellites are not secure. Copper is not secure. Fiber is secure. We need more investment to make sure that we create that infrastructure within the state of Arizona.”

In Ohio, CWA members commanded state leadership’s attention with a statehouse press conference where they presented petitions and demanded a commitment from Governor Mike DeWine to labor standards and high-quality fiber for rural communities. State Representative Lauren McNally (Youngstown) addressed the crowd at the event, saying, "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the infrastructure that will connect the unconnected, lower costs for families, and create good-paying union jobs right here in Ohio."

The Broadband Brigade and CWA members also delivered petitions in Michigan and Minnesota at their respective state capitols to defend state broadband programs. In Georgia, Broadband Brigade members had a productive meeting with Senator Jon Ossoff, laying out CWA’s priorities for defending the BEAD program.

 
Top row: Broadband Brigade members in Arizona delivered petitions to the office of Governor Katie Hobbs. Second row: CWA members held a press conference in the Ohio statehouse. Third row: CWA Broadband Brigade members met with Senator Jon Ossoff (center) to discuss the importance of a fiber-first broadband deployment that creates good, union jobs. CWA and Broadband Brigade members delivered petitions to lawmakers in Minnesota (bottom left) and Colorado (bottom right).

---

This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.