Committee advances bill to modify underground telecommunications certification amid broadband rollout concerns

The Workforce, Labor, Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on Tuesday voted 7–6 to advance House File 47 to the Agriculture Committee, sending the proposal to amend Minnesota's underground telecommunications installer certification program to further review.

House File 47, introduced by Representative Pete Schultz, seeks to modify portions of a 2024 law that requires installers to complete a 40‑hour training curriculum and pass an exam before performing certain underground telecommunications work. Supporters told the committee the law, as written, risks delaying broadband projects tied to $652,000,000 in BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) federal funding and could sideline thousands of experienced workers ahead of the July 1, 2025 effective date.

"Minnesota is incredibly well positioned when it comes to broadband," Representative Schultz said in opening remarks, and the state stands to use federal BEAD funding to extend high‑speed service. Melissa Wolf, executive director of the Minnesota Cable Communications Association, told the panel, "This law will disqualify thousands of experienced broadband installers ... until they take 40 hours of state mandated training and pass an exam." Wolf and other industry witnesses said the combination of a short Minnesota construction season and a new hands‑on training requirement makes the July 1 deadline infeasible for many employers and contractors.

Industry witnesses described the bill's main concerns as: the compressed training timeline, ambiguity about who on a work site must be certified, and the length of the 40‑hour requirement. Wolf testified that Minnesota Cable members expect "1,000 to 1,500 workers will need this certification by July 1." Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, said his members invested nearly $300,000,000 in private capital in 2024 and supported changes that would allow contractors to comply without losing work.

Contractors and trade groups said practical problems include a lack of certified trainers and winter weather that limits hands‑on excavation until spring. Testimony from Telcom Construction President Mark Mueller and Gateway Fiber government affairs head Derek Leffert said inaccuracies or delays in utility locates are a frequent cause of downtime and damages, and that the current law's staffing mandates (which require at least two certified workers to be present for directional boring at every location) may be unworkable on long, linear projects.

Labor and safety advocates disputed the need to weaken the 40‑hour standard. Kevin Prentice of LiUNA Minnesota–North Dakota and Aaron Rosenthal of North Star Policy Action said telecom installation had been a leading cause of damage to buried infrastructure and that strong training standards address public‑safety and worker‑safety risks. Rosenthal testified: "Telecommunications installation was the leading cause of damage to buried infrastructure in Minnesota by a substantial margin, averaging more than one strike per day." Union and municipal letters in the committee record also warned of frequent strikes to natural gas and electric lines tied to telecom work.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, represented by Sean O'Neil, assistant director for construction codes and licensing, told the committee DLI has approved seven training programs so far and posted guidance and a sample curriculum online. O'Neil acknowledged a mistaken statement in a recent webinar but said the department intends to interpret gray areas under a flexible standard and aims to approve programs quickly so they do not block work.

Representative Schultz moved the bill to the Agriculture Committee; the motion passed on a roll call, 7 ayes to 6 nays. The recorded vote (as spoken during the meeting) was: Chair Baker (aye); Representative Mecklen (aye); Representative Baikberg (aye); Representative Berg (no); Representative Frasier (no); Representative Greenman (no); Representative Hussain (no); Representative Peter Johnson (no); Representative Wayne Johnson (aye); Representative Kozlowski (no); Representative Mueller (aye); Representative Schultz (aye); Representative Zleznekar (aye). The committee chair announced the tally and directed the bill to the next committee.

The bill's supporters said they are seeking narrowly targeted changes to avoid halting BEAD‑funded projects while preserving safety elements; opponents said the 40 hours and other statutory requirements are necessary for public and worker safety. The committee action advances the measure but leaves the details and potential compromise to the Agriculture Committee and subsequent negotiations.