Former Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) enrollees have had to make a number of compromises to keep their internet on since it ended a year ago. A January survey from the National Lifeline Association found that nearly 40% of people enrolled in the program said they had to reduce spending on food to afford their new internet bill. 41% cut back on necessities like clothing, heat and doctor’s visits.
In partnership with the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, GoNetspeed, the Northeast’s largest independent fiber optic network builder, celebrated its planned expansion into Newport (RI). Marking GoNetspeed’s first Rhode Island community, Newport also signifies a significant milestone for the company, as Rhode Island is the tenth state in GoNetspeed’s growing footprint. The combined $13 million investment was made possible through a $9 million award from Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF) with a $3.9 million match from GoNetspeed.
While the tech industry floors the pedal on AI, the U.S. public would be happy to hit the brakes. More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) want companies to create AI slowly and get it right the first time, even if that delays breakthroughs, the 2025 Axios Harris 100 poll found. Only 23 percent of Americans want companies to develop AI quickly to speed breakthroughs, even at the price of mistakes along the way.
The Federal Communications Commission recently requested public comment on all of its rules and guidelines in an effort to identify unnecessary regulatory burdens—an undertaking comically called the “Delete, Delete, Delete” docket. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says he aims to “clear out the regulatory underbrush.” While this deregulation initiative is a step in the right direction, Carr could be more ambitious.
The number of cooperatives (co-ops) bridging the broadband divide continues to grow. More than 240 of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative's (NRTC) electric members have deployed broadband for their communities, while leveraging these technologies for a smarter grid. Findings from NRTC and NRECA's report include:
A growing number of states are rolling out subsidies for satellite connectivity in rural areas, a change that could be a boon to Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper. From Maine to Nevada, states are starting to help some of the 24 million Americans who lack reliable broadband pay for satellite internet, rather than focusing such aid primarily on fiber connectivity as they have in the past. Fiber-optic cables provide the most reliable internet service and the most durable infrastructure, but are costly to install.
Since June 2022, the Federal Communications Commission has been collecting service availability data from broadband providers, reviewing and validating those data, and publishing the updates to the National Broadband Map. The latest Map was published in May 2025. With six Broadband Data Collections behind the FCC's team, the Map continues to show steady increases in the number of locations where broadband coverage is reported as of December 2024:
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