1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2026

January 2026

Some Hope for Non-Deployment Funds?

There is still some glimmer of hope that states will see some of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program non-deployment funds. I call it a glimmer of hope because the issue is far from settled.

FCC Chairman Carr Appoints Jonathan Williams as Chief Economist

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Williams as Chief Economist for the FCC, in addition to serving as Chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics. Williams most recently served as a Professor of Economics as well as the Director for the Center for Regulatory and Industrial Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The FCC Chief Economist advises the Chairman, Commissioners, and Bureaus and Offices on economic issues and works within the agency’s Office of Economics and Analytics.

NCDIT Launches $86 Million Stop-Gap Solutions Program to Provide High-Speed Internet Access to Rural North Carolinians

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity announced the launch of the $86 million Stop-Gap Solutions program to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure to eligible unserved and underserved rural households, businesses, community anchor institutions and state facilities in each county. This Stop-Gap Solutions program will fund broadband line extension projects to connect individuals or small pockets of households or businesses that have not been reached through the Growing Rural Economies with Access

New Mexico State Broadband Office Releases Three-Year Statewide Broadband Plan

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) has released a comprehensive and detailed Three-Year Statewide Broadband Plan that unveils the agency’s ambitious goals, strategic priorities and initiatives planned for 2026-2028.

AI deepfakes on X raise a major policy question

Sexualized deepfakes have led to some of the most trenchant criticism of generative artificial intelligence (AI) after affecting everyone from Taylor Swift to high school students.

House Appropriations Committee Releases Three-Bill Funding Package

The House Appropriations Committee released the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. Negotiated and delivered on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, the conferenced legislation makes targeted Fiscal Year 2026 investments to bolster U.S. energy dominance and nuclear deterrence, strengthen law enforcement and efforts to combat illicit drugs, expand access to critical minerals, and support wildland firefighters and responsible land management.

Tech Policy Pronouncements, Prognostications, and Questions for 2026

Some of the technology and innovation policy issues at top of mind as we start 2026:

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