Rural Broadband’s Role in the AI Economy

AI is a rapidly evolving technology that has exploded in the last decade. In the past three years, AI chatbots, agents and operational support have gone mainstream. Major players in big tech such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon have made huge investments in AI. Strategic startups from just a few years ago like OpenAI and Anthropic have grown into multibillion-dollar companies. Rural broadband providers can play several roles in the AI space. Recognizing the efficiencies AI can provide from common repetitive tasks, financial analysis and customer trends is important as cost pressures continue to be a concern for NTCA members and the customers they serve. AI is a tool, and using the right tool for the right situation requires training and experience. Rural service providers, like many small businesses, may have limited resources. But AI can leverage limited resources and, if used appropriately, turn a negative into a positive, level the playing field and put actionable business intelligence into any company. This is one reason the NTCA Technical Committee developed Leveraging AI in Rural Broadband: Practical Use Cases for ISPs, which highlights four key areas where rural internet service providers can deploy AI tools to drive substantial operational value.