The rapacious energy needs of data centers finally seem to have taken a political toll. In recent elections, candidates in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere ran—and won—on voters’ frustration with rising utility bills caused partly by America’s enormous AI buildout.
On November 4, the biggest televised event of the evening was unavailable to millions of viewers. As the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys kicked off Monday Night Football, over nine million Americans subscribed to Google's YouTube TV were met with a notification of a programming dispute instead of the game. This wasn't a technical glitch. It was a tactical, well-executed move in competitive strategy. For the consumer paying $82.99 a month, the experience was ruined.
Watching people who participate in Marylanders Online—a statewide digital equity initiative that offers a broad range of educational resources aimed at strengthening community capacity, providing free courses on digital and AI literacy for all—often reminds me of a concept I return to again and again: tech readiness (also called digital readiness). The term refers to an individual’s propensity to embrace technology to accomplish goals in both personal and professional contexts, as well as their preparedness to adapt to ongoing technological change.
Expanding broadband isn’t just about laying more fiber. It’s about finding practical ways to reach the rugged, rural, and hard-to-serve places where traditional infrastructure projects are slow or cost-prohibitive. That challenge is at the heart of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, which is fueling one of the largest broadband infrastructure efforts in U.S. history.
The subcommittee will examine the risks, what safeguards are in place, and how to ensure users—especially children and teens—can stay safe while using chatbots.
There is no question that this has turned into one of the oddest years for broadband during my career. We’ve seen Digital Equity grants killed. We’re seeing the spending for BEAD being cut in half. And maybe oddest of all, we’re seeing States make sizeable Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grant awards to Kuiper, although the company isn’t close to having its first broadband customer. For the last month, I’ve been perplexed by the magnitude of the BEAD awards being made to Kuiper.
The Commerce Department is sometimes referred to as the broom closet of the federal bureaucracy because of the vast—and unrelated—functions that it oversees. That portfolio includes both promoting economic growth through creating jobs and monitoring trade, and overseeing the Census Bureau and the National Weather Service. But according to several U.S. and foreign officials, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick assumed the role with a significant deficit in his grasp of trade, how to negotiate with foreign partners, and how to execute the president’s agenda.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
As cyberattacks continue to hammer networks and critical infrastructure across the globe—threatening economic stability and global trust—it has never been more important for both the public and private sectors to work together on resilient security solutions.
A new digital awakening is unfolding in churches, where pastors and prayer apps are turning to artificial intelligence to reach worshippers, personalize sermon
© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.
