PCCA Journal 2nd Quarter 2020

PCCA Journal|2 nd Quarter 2020 9 InsideWashington PCCA Ensures that Power and Broadband Construction Workers Are Considered “Essential” By Eben Wyman A s the coronavirus spread across the country, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provided three versions of strategic guidance listing “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” The list covers 16 sectors including Energy, Communications, and Critical Manufacturing, and it is intended to help state and local officials decide which industry sectors should continue normal operations during this crisis. On March 20, PCCA sent a letter to CISA urging them to include those who work on broadband and power systems on any and all lists of “essential” workers maintained by CISA or any federal/state entity. In the letter, PCCA said that in their everyday work, contrac- tors provide the manpower to fulfill several of the job func- tions listed in the initial CISA guidance document, including “contractors for construc- tion and engineering of fiber optic cables,” and “work on generation, transmission, and electric facilities.” To ensure that PCCA associ- ate members were included in this effort, the letter stated that “as the federal gov- ernment continues to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to recognize all facets of the construction industry, including contractors, manufacturers, and all service providers who col- lectively assure broadband and electric services are included on the list of essential services.” On March 23, PCCA signed onto a multi-industry letter with construction associations who engage in the natural gas, public works, water/sewer, and surface transportation infrastructure markets. Re- EbenWyman PCCA Government & Industry Affairs eben@wymanassociates.net (703) 740-6126 Continued on page 10