Licensing Inches Forward in Massachusetts

---Catherine Varmazis

The licensing of telecommunications professionals is one step closer to reality in Massachusetts. In April, the Joint Standing Committee for Government Regulation reviewed House Bill 2328, which proposed an examiner`s board composed of professionals appointed from a list provided by the Massachusetts Telecommunications Contractors Association (mcta). A bill proposed last year, H2288, which was opposed by the telecommunications industry, would have placed telecom licensing under the jurisdiction of the Board of Electrical Examiners.

Phil Milan, president of the mcta, which supports H2328, says H2328 brought some objections from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, but that the two sides are getting closer. The two parties were scheduled to meet in May to discuss modifications to the bill. Depending on the outcome of this meeting, an amended bill could be reintroduced to the legislature as early as July.

The mcta`s goal is a telecommunications examiner`s board based on the Rhode Island model. That body is composed of both low-voltage and electrical professionals as well as union and nonunion members.