Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
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Overview
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
CableTechnicianInstallerLineSplicerLinemanRepairerTelephoneWireMechanicTelevisionFiberBroadbandConduitServiceReelTelecommunicationsTollAerialCablemanInspectorSystemsTVTesterCombinationManWorkerOpticNetworkLinesUtilityBlockSpecialistBuriedAssemblerLayerMaintainerTechWirerClimberCustomerFieldFIOSInstallationRepairJointerCablerOutsidePlantPowerCartOperatorSplicingSubmarineEquipmentTelecommunicationTelegraphLineworkerPhonePatrolmanLocatorStretcher
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Responsibilities and activities

Electrical power-line installers and repairers typically do the following:

  • Install, maintain, or repair the power lines that move electricity
  • Identify defective devices, voltage regulators, transformers, and switches
  • Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment
  • String power lines between poles, towers, and buildings
  • Climb poles and transmission towers and use truck-mounted buckets to get to equipment
  • Operate power equipment when installing and repairing poles, towers, and lines
  • Drive work vehicles to job sites
  • Follow safety standards and procedures

Telecommunications line installers and repairers typically do the following:

  • Install, maintain, or repair telecommunications equipment
  • Inspect or test lines or cables
  • Lay underground cable, including fiber optic lines, directly in trenches
  • Pull cables in underground conduit
  • Install aerial cables, including over lakes or across rivers
  • Operate power equipment when installing and repairing poles, towers, and lines
  • Drive work vehicles to job sites
  • Set up service for customers

A complex network of physical power lines and cables provides consumers with electricity, landline telephone communication, cable television, and Internet access. Line installers and repairers, also known as line workers, are responsible for installing and maintaining these networks.

Line installers and repairers can specialize in different areas depending on the type of network and industry in which they work:

Electrical power-line installers and repairers install and maintain the power grid—the network of power lines that moves electricity from generating plants to customers. They routinely work with high-voltage electricity, which requires extreme caution. The electrical current can range from hundreds of thousands of volts for long-distance transmission lines that make up the power grid to less than 10,000 volts for distribution lines that supply electricity to homes and businesses.

Line workers who maintain the interstate power grid work in crews that travel to locations throughout a large region to service transmission lines and towers. Workers employed by local utilities work mainly with lower voltage distribution lines, maintaining equipment such as transformers, voltage regulators, and switches. They also may work on traffic lights and street lights.

Telecommunications line installers and repairers install and maintain the lines and cables used by network communications companies. Depending on the service provided—local and long-distance telephone, cable television, or Internet—telecommunications companies use different types of cables, including fiber optic cables. Unlike metallic cables that carry electricity, fiber optic cables are made of glass and transmit signals using light. Working with fiber optics requires special skills, such as the ability to splice and terminate optical cables. In addition, workers use specialized equipment to test and troubleshoot cables and networking equipment.

Because these systems are complicated, many line workers also specialize by duty:

Line installers install new cable. They may work for construction contractors, utilities, or telecommunications companies. Workers generally start a new job by digging underground trenches or erecting utility poles and towers to carry the wires and cables. They use a variety of construction equipment, including digger derricks, which are trucks equipped with augers and cranes used to dig holes and set poles in place. Line installers also use trenchers, cable plows, and directional bore machines, which are used to cut openings in the earth to lay underground cables. Once the poles, towers, tunnels, or trenches are ready, workers install the new cable.

Line repairers are employed by utilities and telecommunications companies that maintain existing power and telecommunications lines. Maintenance needs may be identified in a variety of ways, including remote monitoring, aerial inspections, and by customer reports of service outages. Line repairers often must replace aging or outdated equipment, so many of these workers have installation duties in addition to their repair duties.

When a problem is reported, line repairers must identify the cause and fix it. This usually involves diagnostic testing using specialized equipment and repair work. To work on poles, line installers usually use bucket trucks to raise themselves to the top of the structure, although all line workers must be adept at climbing poles and towers when necessary. Workers use special safety equipment to keep them from falling when climbing utility poles and towers.

Storms and other natural disasters can cause extensive damage to power lines. When power is lost, line repairers must work quickly to restore service to customers.

Salary
Median salary: $58,870 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $41,060 and $82,030.
$59K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for telecommunications line installers and repairers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$57K$27K$64K$62K$42K$38K$50K$67K$64K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
05K10K15K20K25K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of telecommunications line installers and repairers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Time Pressure (93%)
  • Hazardous Equipment (82%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (76%)
  • High Places (73%)
  • Hazardous Conditions (62%)
  • Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (56%)
  • Consequence of Error (54%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (52%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (46%)
  • Unpleasant or Angry People (38%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Color vision
Workers who handle electrical wires and cables must distinguish colors because the wires and cables are often color coded.
Mechanical skills
Line installers and repairers must have the knowledge and skills to repair or replace complex electrical and telecommunications lines and equipment.
Physical stamina
Line installers and repairers often must climb poles and work at great heights with heavy tools and equipment. Therefore, installers and repairers need to work for long periods without tiring easily.
Physical strength
Line installers and repairers must be strong enough to lift heavy tools, cables, and equipment on a regular basis.
Teamwork
Because workers often rely on their fellow crew members for their safety, teamwork is critical.
Technical skills
Line installers use sophisticated diagnostic equipment on circuit breakers, switches, and transformers. They must be familiar with electrical systems and the appropriate tools needed to fix and maintain them.
Troubleshooting skills
Line installers and repairers must diagnose problems in increasingly complex electrical systems and telecommunication lines.
Injury and Illness
About 442 telecommunications line installers and repairers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 99% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Sprains, strains, tears
All multiple traumatic injuries
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by telecommunications line installers and repairers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), telecommunications line installers and repairers typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as telecommunications line installers and repairers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for telecommunications line installers and repairers

Most companies require line installers and repairers to have a high school diploma or equivalent. Employers prefer candidates with basic knowledge of algebra and trigonometry. In addition, technical knowledge of electricity or electronics obtained through military service, vocational programs, or community colleges can also be helpful.

Many community colleges offer programs in telecommunications, electronics, or electricity. Some programs work with local companies to offer 1-year certificates that emphasize hands-on fieldwork.

More advanced 2-year associate’s degree programs provide students with a broad knowledge of the technology used in telecommunications and electrical utilities. These programs offer courses in electricity, electronics, fiber optics, and microwave transmission.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for telecommunications line installers and repairers

Although not mandatory, certification for line installers and repairers is also available from several associations. For example, BICSI offers certification for line installers and repairers, and the Electrical Training ALLIANCE offers certification for line installers and repairers in several specialty areas.

In addition, The Fiber Optic Association (FOA) offers two levels of fiber optic certification for telecommunications line installers and repairers.

Workers who drive heavy company vehicles usually need a commercial driver’s license.

Education level of Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Only 10% of telecommunications line installers and repairers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by telecommunications line installers and repairers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click the program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Number of degrees awarded in 2018
Education
Education level of awarded degrees
Assoc./Cert.
Bachelor's
Graduate
Gender
Gender of graduates
Men
Women
Race/Origin
Race/origin of graduates
White
Minority
International
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most telecommunications line installers and repairers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as telecommunications line installers and repairers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where telecommunications line installers and repairers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for telecommunications line installers and repairers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for telecommunications line installers and repairers.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which telecommunications line installers and repairers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
4% of Telecommunications line installers and repairers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 4% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 83% of careers.
4%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of telecommunications line installers and repairers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$50K$50K$44K$58K$29K$41K$41K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000Self-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedFederal governmentState governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Telecommunications line installers and repairers and gender
With 4% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 89% of careers.
Gender of Telecommunications line installers and repairers
Men (96%)
Women (4%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$52K$50K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
4%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Telecommunications line installers and repairers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Telecommunications line installers and repairers.
Race/origin of telecommunications line installers and repairers
White (73% )
Black (15% )
Other (4% )
Asian (3% )
Multiracial (3% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$39K$42K$42K$44K$45K$51K$52K$72K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100KAmerican IndianHispanicBlackMultiracialOtherAsianWhitePacific Islander
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.