Who is Building Broadband Infrastructure, and Why is the Industry Short of Managers?

$42.45 billion–that is how much the U.S. federal government allocated through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to build and expand high-speed internet networks. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has turned broadband deployment into one of the decade’s largest infrastructure projects. According to federal estimates, roughly 24 million Americans still lack reliable access to high-speed internet. Closing that gap will take more than funding and equipment. It will also require people–thousands of skilled professionals who can install fiber, build networks, and coordinate field crews.

Fiber-optic networks are recognized as the backbone of modern telecommunications systems, supporting economic growth, digital services, remote work, education, and technological innovation. Regional providers across the country are investing in networks designed to bring gigabit speeds to residential communities. The contractors doing this work need specialists at every level, from installers to field operations managers. The shortage is most acute at the management level.

The shortage no one sees from the outside

The telecom industry’s shortage of technicians is widely reported. Far less attention is paid to another shortage: managers capable of coordinating large-scale field operations. Even a highly skilled technician can complete only one installation at a time. A supervisor keeps an entire crew–or several crews–productive at once. Their expertise directly affects whether contract deadlines are met, how many orders are canceled, how much rework is required, and ultimately, whether a project is profitable.

What makes telecom supervision different is that an effective field operations manager cannot simply be a manager. They must understand the technical side of every assignment well enough to judge whether deadlines are realistic, whether the work meets quality standards, and why deviations occur. Contractors face the same challenge every day: finding someone who combines hands-on field experience with the management skills needed to coordinate teams across different geographic areas.

Case study: From cable installation to coordinating multistate operations

Serhii Hybenko, a Ukrainian national, arrived in the United States in April 2024. In early 2025, he joined telecommunications contractor Moldcable INC as a fiber-optic installation technician. From the outset, Serhii took on technically demanding and hazardous installation work that other specialists declined, including running lines between utility poles nearly 550 feet apart.

In the spring of 2025, he was appointed Team Lead for the Omni Fiber project in Brownsville, Texas, an FTTH network deployment program designed to bring gigabit internet to residential neighborhoods. Under his coordination were a five-technician crew, more than 1,500 installation orders, and 15 active distribution cabinets, each serving up to 200 subscribers.

In July of that year, Serhii’s responsibilities expanded when he became Project Supervisor for Omni Fiber in Texas and Point Broadband, 123Net, and Ripple Fiber in Michigan. By early 2026, he was overseeing four contracts in two states and managing a team of roughly 20 technical specialists. In April 2026, his responsibilities expanded again when he became Project Manager, with a greater focus on leadership functions.

The Point Broadband project covered 23 service areas across Michigan, from Traverse City to Ithaca, with approximately 3,270 orders and 133 active distribution cabinets. From December 2025 through April 2026, Serhii also provided technical support and maintenance oversight for the FastWire project in Nebraska and Missouri.

“The U.S. telecom industry is growing so quickly that companies simply do not have enough time to develop managers through the usual career cycle,” Serhii says. “Contracts are signed, and deadlines begin, but there are far fewer people who can coordinate crews across several projects at once than there are open positions. That is why the ability to deliver results matters so much here.”

What makes these specialists valuable to the market?

The completion rate on projects supervised by Serhii Hybenko rose from about 60% to 90–95%. In telecom network deployment contracts, an increase in this rate directly raises revenue and reduces the risk of penalties. The structured oversight introduced under his management is estimated to have lowered costs by 15–20% compared with standard operating conditions.

The Director of Operations at Moldcable and Utilities One describes Serhii Hybenko’s role as critical. He is among a small group of project managers trusted to coordinate operations across multiple states. He is regularly brought into situations where performance needs to be stabilized, including high cancellation rates, quality problems, and coordination failures.

Alongside his management work, Serhii Hybenko formalized his practical experience into the IFL-ROTM (Integrated Field Leadership & Risk-Optimized Training Methodology). The system combines step-by-step technician training, controlled authorization for independent work, built-in quality control, and corrective action. Implemented across four projects, the methodology reduced technician onboarding time by an average of 29%, cut procedural deviations by an average of 32%, and increased productivity by an average of 25%.

Looking ahead: Entrepreneurship in telecom infrastructure

Serhii Hybenko plans to establish his own U.S.-based LLC specializing in fiber infrastructure deployment and field operations management. The company will serve telecommunications providers, contractors, and network operators. Its work will include project management, operational coordination, implementation of deployment methodologies, and workforce development through technician training and mentorship.

Launching such a company would also create jobs in a sector that urgently needs them. Every trained technician is capable of serving hundreds of households and connecting them to high-speed internet. Within the federal BEAD Program, which aims to close the digital divide, companies that build qualified field crews and maintain installation quality directly support national infrastructure goals and the economic development of regions gaining broadband access.

“My experience has shown me that contractors need both skilled hands and management expertise–people who can organize a crew, build a process, and deliver consistent results,” Hybenko says. “That is why my company will provide full operational support, from team building and training to work coordination and quality control across several projects at once.”

This operating model responds to a real market need. Telecommunications companies and contractors increasingly seek outside partners who can provide both field personnel and the management infrastructure behind them, including crew coordination, quality control, and operational stabilization on complex projects.

Why does this matter to the industry?

Federal investment through the BEAD Program has created the financial foundation for expanding broadband infrastructure. The equipment is available. Contracts are being signed. People remain the limiting factor, especially managers who can turn resources into results.

“The industry has money, equipment, and demand,” Hybenko concludes. “What it lacks are people who know how to organize the process from start to finish. I have made that journey myself, from installing cable to managing several projects across different states. Now I want to scale that experience through my own company and help the industry close the gap I see every day.”

For the U.S. telecommunications market, where the volume of infrastructure work continues to grow, professionals with hands-on field experience and management expertise remain the scarcest resource. Their ability to turn experience into scalable, repeatable operating systems transforms individual expertise into a practical tool–and those are precisely the tools the industry needs to put billions of dollars in broadband investment to work.