CWA members play pivotal role in Delaware’s broadband expansion

Delaware is on track to become the first state in the nation fully connected to high-speed internet under the federally funded BEAD program. Construction is expected to begin this spring to expand broadband service to more than 5,700 unserved and underserved homes and businesses in the state.

As part of CWA’s Broadband Brigade program, CWA Local 13101 members worked tirelessly with state representatives and policymakers to ensure that Delaware’s BEAD plan included high-road labor standards, including prioritizing a directly employed workforce to curtail the use of low-road subcontracting.

“While CWA members in upstate areas of Delaware have seen steady fiber work, this project brings much-needed opportunities to Kent and Sussex Counties, where fiber buildout has been limited,” said CWA Local 13101 President Mike Watson. “CWA has been at the forefront of this effort, advocating for our members and ensuring that Delaware remains a leader in digital infrastructure. This wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our union, state leadership, and the support of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, championed by Delaware’s congressional delegation.”

Incoming Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and Brendan Carr, President Trump’s pick for Federal Communications Commission Chair, have been critical of the BEAD program’s labor standards and focus on fiber buildout. Satellite company CEOs are pushing the Trump Administration to redirect funding away from fiber buildout to unreliable satellite internet service, and Cruz has threatened to stop the distribution of funding until labor standards are dropped.

A public CWA petition urges states to commit to creating good, union jobs by using BEAD funds to build reliable, high-speed fiber internet connections. 

Links:

CWA members play pivotal role in Delaware’s broadband expansion (CWA, Jan. 23, 2025)

Universal high-speed broadband and good union jobs: CWA celebrates inclusion of high-road labor standards in Delaware BEAD plan (CWA, Nov. 13, 2023)

‘The $42B question’: What’s next for federal broadband funding? (Government Executive, Nov. 26, 2024)

Sen. Cruz Warns Biden-Harris NTIA: Big Changes Ahead for Multi-Billion-Dollar Broadband Boondoggle (US Senate, Nov. 22, 2024)