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How exposed to AI is a Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairer?

Of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for telecommunications line installers and repairers, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 19 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Cable SplicerCable TechnicianCable Television Technician (Cable TV Tech)Combination TechnicianField Service TechnicianInstallation and Repair Technician (I and R Technician)InstallerLinemanOutside Plant TechnicianService Technician
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
20
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of 31
102k
people do this job in the US
41 of 50
least protected in installation and repair

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

1
  • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions

Cannot be sped up

19
  • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment
  • Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories
  • Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment
  • Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment
  • Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces
  • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment
  • String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension
  • Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks
  • Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches
  • Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches
  • Dig trenches for underground wires or cables
  • Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due
  • Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering
  • Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels
  • Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions
  • Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows
  • Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices
  • Participate in the construction or removal of telecommunication towers or associated support structures
  • Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.