When severe weather systems disrupt the daily lives of millions, the resilience of our national communications network depends on a specialized workforce. Maintaining a national network requires more than software updates. During the 2024 hurricane season, the Federal Communications Commission Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) documented hundreds of cell site outages across the Southeast. The organization I represent, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, focuses on advancing worker safety by developing programs and resources that guide tower technicians and frontline workers in the safe, high-quality deployment of communications networks and related infrastructure. Todd Schlekeway became the President and CEO of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association in June of 2012.