Good question - 

Of the listed “key points” the first and second, regarding designation as essential employees, has been explicitly included in the several state and county orders that I’ve personally read. By no means a complete survey, but at least some locales are aware of the issue. 

The only one that I’ve heard is (anecdotally) a problem is the last one, regarding permits. E.g. in some cases state, county, and/or local permitting offices have been operating slower than usual or simply closed. In some cases because they’re reliant on agents, inspectors, etc, who aren’t considered essential...

But this seems like more of an issue for new deployments (e.g. 5G masts) rather than security and/or maintaining existing infrastructure. Not to diminish the importance of new infrastructure, but it’s a mixed bag - some of it is about connecting people in need, some of it is driven predominantly by business / competitive concerns. 

I’d be interested to hear others’ experiences if they can illuminate more. 

Thanks,
- Benson


On Tue, May 26, 2020 at 21:41 Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com> wrote:

I have not heard of any problems with access for ISP and communications
workers in any U.S. state or locality during the pandemic.

Did I miss a big problem requiring the FCC chairman and CISA Director send
a letter?



https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-cisa-stress-need-communications-industry-access-resources-0


Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs
today sent a letter to the nation’s governors encouraging them to provide
necessary access and resources to the communications workers helping to
keep Americans connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[...]

The letter includes these key points:
- Highlights recent guidance from CISA related to the essential critical
infrastructure workforce and 911 centers during the pandemic
- Asks that certain communications industry entities and personnel be
declared essential to the pandemic response and afforded all appropriate
access and resources
- Asks that states consider prioritizing the distribution of personal
protective equipment to communications personnel when available
- Underscores the role of various communications industry personnel to
supporting consumers’ remote emergency communications needs
- Encourages industry and government to work together to prioritize and
complete communications infrastructure and next generation 911 projects
- Calls on states to facilitate the maintenance, repair, and provisioning
of communications infrastructure and services by providing online access
to relevant government functions, such as the permitting process, where
not already available electronically.