News From PCCA...
Sellenriek Provides BDAC Update
At PCCA's Construction Industry Roundtable during the recent convention, Steve Sellenriek, Sellenriek Construction, updated his fellow members on the work of the FCC's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). Steve is a PCCA Past Chairman and chairman of the PCCA Education & Research Foundation, and he serves on the Board of Regents at the State Technical College of Missouri. Last July, he was appointed to the BDAC's Job Skills Working Group, which is charged with exploring ways to improve job skills training and development opportunities for the broadband infrastructure deployment workforce and to make those opportunities more widely available.
RUS 773 Increase a Big Win for PCCA Contractors
RUS 773 Increase a Big Win for PCCA Contractors
During the Construction Industry Roundtable at PCCA's 2020 Convention in the Bahamas, Eben Wyman discussed language in the construction procedures for the Rural Utilities Service's new ReConnect Program for rural broadband that permits the use of RUS Form 773 on "small-scale" projects. RUS defines "small-scale" as $1 million or less, whereas the previous limit on the use of Form 773 was $250,000. When PCCA expanded its government affairs efforts in 2015, a top goal was raising the 773 limit so that RUS could realize the full benefit of its resources and more efficiently construct broadband infrastructure in rural America. PCCA will continue working to ensure that the ReConnect Program contract policy will become permanent RUS policy.
PCCA 2020 Convention Presentations
Presentations from the PCCA 2020 Convention at the Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas (February 28 - March 4, 2020) are available to members in the Members Only area of the website under Education. (Login required.)
Available to everyone is Corning Field Engineer (retired) Gerry Harvey's presentation: Quality OSP Fiber Optic Cable Install.
WIA Awarded $6 Million DOL Grant to Train 5G Workforce
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced that the U.S. Department of Labor awarded it a $6 million grant to expand apprenticeship in the telecommunications industry. The grant program, Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap, is designed to support large-scale expansions of apprenticeship. In partnership with the Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA), the grant will be used to train a 5G workforce, an integral part of winning the global race to 5G. Five institutions of higher education have already committed as technical partner schools. The nearly $6 million grant is supplemented by over $9 million in matching support from industry, including cash and in-kind contributions from WIA, PCCA, Ditch Witch, FS3, and participating employers, for a total commitment to apprenticeship of $15 million in a public-private partnership.
PCCA Journal - 2020 Q1 - Available Online
The latest edition of the PCCA Journal is in the mail but you can avoid the wait by reading it online.
Read about the new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, check our Broadband and Electrric Outlook and more...
Take it with you.
The PCCA Journal is portable and optimized for reading on your phone or tablet.
Missouri State Tech Looking to Build, Renovate
The utility and civil infrastructure programs at Missouri State Technical College will see renovations to existing building as well as a new Utility Technology Center thanks to a recent vote by the school's Board of Regents. The program at State Technical College is one of the projects supported by the PCCA Education & Research Foundation.
Details on the decision are available here.
PCCA Announces 2020-2021 Scholarship Program
The PCCA Education and Research Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Applicants can apply for one of four $10,000 scholarships. Previous applicants can log in to the Foundation's website using the account they've already created to update their applications as needed.
Scholarship recipients will be selected at the 75th Annual PCCA Convention at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, Bahama, in March 2020 and announced in the Q2 PCCA Journal.
Details on the application process are at the Foundation's website and questions can be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications will be accepted through February 15, 2020.
