The fiber industry is booming. Between broadband builds and data center projects, demand has never been higher. But networks don’t build themselves, and there’s a massive shortage of skilled workers to get all that glass in the ground. In that context, Meta’s latest move is little surprise.
The hyperscaler is looking to secure its human supply chain with the rollout of LevelUp, a new program that promises to train new fiber technicians in four weeks, for free.
Meta isn’t taking any chances that those workers might find work elsewhere. Technicians who graduate from the program will be offered jobs by companies in Meta’s contractor network and be sent to work at some of its U.S. data center and other construction sites.
“The future of the AI revolution depends on a highly skilled US workforce — one that rises to the challenge of building and maintaining the complex systems that power innovation,” Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick said in a statement.
Shape of the problem
Back in 2024, Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) estimated an additional 58,000 workers – including construction tradespeople and skilled broadband technicians – would be needed to execute the $80 billion in government-funded fiber projects that were on the table at the time.
Since that time, AI has accelerated construction of new data centers, with around 800 now in the pipeline worldwide, according to Synergy Research Group. Around half of those are in the U.S.
For its part, Meta said it has 27 data centers either operational or in construction. But the fiber needs of each are monstrous. At Broadband Nation Expo in November 2025, an exec from fiber supplier Corning noted that Meta’s 1 million GPU campus that’s being built in Louisiana will require 8 million miles of fiber. Granted, campus sizes vary, but you get the idea.
That fiber is required within the data center. And fiber is also needed between data centers. On that front, FBA and market research firm RVA estimated the U.S. must nearly double its fiber route miles from 95,000 to 187,000 meet AI-driven data center demand.
“The same people that deploy broadband networks are the same people being used and called upon to build and splice cables together for a data center,” Corning SVP and GM for Optical Communications Mike O’Day recently told Fierce. “We hear that from our customers that continues to be a challenge, an ongoing challenge of the skilled craft that's required to install a fiber network.”
Fierce’s take
Meta, of course, isn’t the only one with a fiber technician training program. FBA has its OpTIC Path course, while Corning offers its own Fiber Optic Training Program. There are also state-level training programs that were launched to train talent for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) Program projects. On the cloud side, Google Cloud offers fiber training through is STAR program, which is available in 6 states. AWS, meanwhile, offers a two-day fiber splicing certification.
What will be interesting to watch is the competitive dynamic between hyperscalers and broadband operators who are vying for the same workforce. Will hyperscalers up pay rates to woo workers away from broadband projects? Will they even need to?
At Broadband Nation Expo 2024, state officials noted that they were struggling to keep trained talent in their states because federal grant money hadn’t yet arrived for the projects those workers were trained to work on. And while the situation is finally starting to change, it’s not clear that the money will arrive faster than hyperscalers can move.
It’s also worth noting that the hyperscale companies building AI data centers have deeper pockets. So, while they likely don’t want to, they theoretically could spend more to get the workforce they need.
Interested in exploring job opportunities within the industry? Check out Broadband Nation's jobs board, training portal and Learning Center.