Washington qualified CLEC commits to neutrality, card-check recognition, first-contract interest arbitration, and successorship protections, positioning the workforce for the state's largest fiber buildout in two decades.
SEATTLE, May 14, 2026 -- Smart Venues AI LLC, doing business as ClearBeam Networks ("ClearBeam"), a Washington competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), today announced that on May 1, 2026 it signed a five-year High Road Agreement with the Communications Workers of America District 7 (CWA D7).
The agreement establishes the labor framework for ClearBeam's Washington-state fiber network buildout. Core terms include:
The High Road Agreement aligns ClearBeam with CWA's national framework for telecommunications employers who commit to building the broadband workforce with equity, accountability, and respect for workers' rights. The agreement is a labor standards and neutrality commitment, not a collective bargaining agreement, and does not predetermine any organizing outcome.
"Washington needs a fiber network that works for the people who build it and the customers who use it," said Tim Semakula, founder and CEO of ClearBeam Networks. "Signing this agreement on day one means craft labor knows where they stand with us, public-power partners know where we stand with their communities, and federal regulators know where we stand on workforce. We're a greenfield carrier in a competitive market, and the people who lay our fiber and answer our calls deserve a contract from the start."
ClearBeam was granted Washington CLEC status in 2026 (UTC Docket UT-250954, closed) and is a federally credentialed carrier holding USAC Form 498 SPIN designation and Form 499 USF contributor status. The company operates under Section 214 authority with end-to-end CALEA compliance native to its voice stack. ClearBeam's Phase 1 buildout covers Capitol Hill (Seattle) and Vashon Island, with multi-county expansion across Washington underway.
The CWA D7 High Road Agreement supports ClearBeam's pending Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) designation and the company's broader role as Washington telecommunications infrastructure modernizes.
ClearBeam Networks (Smart Venues AI LLC d/b/a ClearBeam) is an independently owned Washington competitive local exchange carrier headquartered in Seattle. Founded by Tim Semakula, ClearBeam operates a nationwide voice network across 12 points of presence and is building Active Ethernet fiber infrastructure in Western Washington. HomeStation, the company's home phone service for families, is available in all 50 states. Learn more at myclearbeam.net.
CWA District 7 represents workers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and portions of the Upper Midwest, with a Pacific Northwest field office in Puyallup, Washington. The District operates more than 170 chartered Local unions and negotiates contracts with over 150 employers in telecommunications, state and local government, healthcare, education, and related industries.