Broadband access is no longer a luxury—it is a critical component of economic opportunity, workforce development, and community well-being. As industries from agriculture to healthcare increasingly rely on digital tools, robust broadband access empowers communities to participate fully in the modern economy. However, expanding broadband infrastructure is only part of the solution. Without a skilled workforce to deploy and maintain these networks, rural and remote communities risk being left behind. Prioritizing broadband workforce development in these communities requires a regional approach, where counties collaborate to pool resources, train workers, and create sustainable career pathways.
Examining Texas’s Broadband Workforce
The 87th Texas Legislature created the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) to increase access to affordable broadband service. The BDO found that nearly 7 million Texans lack access to broadband, with 23 percent of Texans unable to attend online classes, see a healthcare provider through telehealth, or apply for job opportunities online.[1] These barriers impede the economic opportunities available to Texans, especially for rural communities, communities of color, and low-income families.
TIP is part of a team working with the BDO Technical Assistance Program (TAP) to create feasibility reports for counties challenged by broadband expansion. Through this work, TIP is analyzing broadband workforce conditions and creating strategies to facilitate the expansion of the workforce pipeline for future deployment and maintenance in 32 Texas counties.[2] This analysis looks at 43 occupations, defined by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,[3] Continuum Capital,[4] and the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan,[5] which are linked to broadband deployment. The analysis and recommendations examine each county’s labor force, identify the workforce development structures needed for broadband improvement, and suggest next steps to close any gaps, particularly for occupations identified as having a limited or declining supply of talent in the community.
In completing the workforce analyses for counties participating in TAP, it quickly became apparent that county-level data was not sufficient. In many cases, a regional scope was preferable to gain a better understanding of the workforce landscape and its challenges since workers may commute across county lines to job sites and employers at higher rates in rural counties than elsewhere in the state. Pairing data analysis with stakeholder interviews was essential to capturing the specific challenges each county faced.
The Case for a Regional Solution
The challenges facing each high-needs county may vary, but at their core each county is rural, remote, and/or sparsely populated, making it unrealistic for them to pursue broadband expansion efforts on their own. Communities struggle with specific challenges such as having large aging populations, experiencing high levels of poverty, or population decline. These challenges strain local resources and limit capacity to meet even basic needs. Counties most in need of broadband workforce development often lack the employment options and talent base to support critical broadband occupations, despite those jobs offering higher earnings and lower turnover rates compared to opportunities in their region. With little to no capacity to implement recommendations, high-needs counties must tap into their surrounding regional assets and their partners to initiate workforce efforts to advance the region and, ultimately, the county.
Building a county’s broadband workforce requires active coordination between regional partners and leaders to understand the landscape and pool of resources to meet workforce needs. While each county may have limited resources, they have several regional assets that can be leveraged to build their future broadband workforce. These partners should include the Texas Regional Council, workforce development board, county judges, higher education institutions, school districts and their career and technical education (CTE) programs, internet service providers (ISPs) already operating in or looking to expand into the region, and local small businesses who contract with ISPs.
ISPs must be at the community table sharing their current and future workforce demands. Education partners from K–12, postsecondary, and technical training programs must collaborate with employers to establish and scale training programs to provide the supply of workers to meet the future workforce demand. Regional partners and training providers should also engage with industry associations to develop the most up-to-date curricula, internship opportunities, and apprenticeship programs. And accessing the workforce funding needed to bolster these countywide initiatives will require collaboration among workforce, education, regional, and employer partners. Ultimately, a regional effort should address the following elements.
- Collaboration with ISPs to understand workforce needs in real time.
- Alignment between the curriculum offered by education/training partners and employer needs.
- Awareness around quality career opportunities throughout the community.
- Diversification of the workforce to grow the local talent pipeline.
- Identification and pursuit of funding resources to scale and sustain workforce development efforts.
Banding Together in the Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley is an example of a region that has pooled its resources and assets together to advance digital opportunities across South Texas counties. The Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition brings together local governments, ISPs, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and nonprofits to create and implement a comprehensive action plan for expanding the region’s broadband infrastructure. One organization, Connect Humanity, serves as the lead and backbone organization to the effort.
The Rio Grande Valley Broadband & Digital Opportunity Plan focuses on the following five areas.
- Closing broadband infrastructure gaps.
- Identifying and scaling effective digital opportunity programs.
- Developing digital workforce skills.
- Expanding telehealth access.
- Supporting small business digitalization.
This initiative brings together the efforts of several community and regional partners to expand broadband infrastructure and affordable access to high-speed internet and pursue future public funding opportunities. The plan shares the successes of pilot programs in communities across the region that could be scaled to grow the broadband workforce in South Texas and innovative solutions to building a broadband curriculum with education and training partners in the region. These recommendations include, digital navigator programs and the Rio Grande Valley Digital Ambassador Program, which build a foundation of digital skills for residents, a collaboration with Etex Telephone and Texas Telephone Association to engage middle and high school students through virtual reality curriculum to grow the awareness of career opportunities in broadband, and incorporating the Fiber Broadband Association’s OpTic Path™ Program at high schools and community colleges to develop the credential offerings in the region. The Coalition’s plan, in combination with county feasibility studies, will be used to create and refine programs, pursue grant funding, and provide an ongoing framework for the partners collaborating across the region to close the digital divide.
Investing in broadband workforce development is essential for bridging the digital divide and creating economic opportunities in rural communities. A regional approach allows counties to share resources, build strong partnerships, and develop a skilled workforce capable of supporting broadband expansion. Without these efforts, rural areas risk falling further behind in the digital economy. By prioritizing workforce development alongside infrastructure investment, leaders across a region can ensure that broadband expansion translates into sustainable jobs and lasting economic growth.
[1] Texas Broadband Plan. 2022. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Broadband Development Office.
[2] TAP is charged with providing no-cost planning and consulting services to 32 Texas counties certified as lacking the necessary capacity for broadband planning.
[3] Internet for All: Workforce Planning Guide: Guidance for BEAD Program Eligible Entities. US Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
[4] Broadband Market Workforce Needs: Research Summary. 2024. Continuum Capital on behalf of the Fiber Broadband Association and Power and Communication Contractors Association.
[5] “Appendix K: Building the Broadband Industry Workforce and Supporting Digital Skills for Texans (page 793),” Texas Digital Opportunity Plan. 2024. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Broadband Development Office.
