Call centers could create 100,000 domestic jobs in two years, FCC says

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Call centers could soon offer consumer support in an unexpected way -– by creating 100,000 jobs over the next two years.

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is expected to help announce a project Thursday to construct or expand call centers across the U.S., boosting employment.

The facilities will be sited in areas recently equipped with broadband Internet capability to better handle high call volumes, according to a statement from the agency and Jobs4America, a newly launched business coalition.

Genachowski will unveil the plan in Jeffersonville, Ind. –- the type of community he hopes will help attract new call center jobs, which have increasingly shifted to foreign countries where labor is often cheaper.

But domestic workers can use new broadband technologies such as VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), video conferencing and social networking to enhance consumer experience, the agency said.

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-- Tiffany Hsu