Daily Digest 1/22/2025 (Jules Ralph Feiffer)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Broadband Funding

BEAD Needs All Technologies to Succeed  |  Read below  |  Ellis Scherer, Joe Kane  |  Analysis  |  Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

State/Local Initiatives

Benton Foundation
Alabama’s Broadband Model for the Nation  |  Read below  |  Matt Dunne  |  Op-Ed  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Cox settles lawsuit against RI's broadband improvement program. What to know.  |  Read below  |  Patrick Anderson  |  Providence Journal
Benton Foundation
At the Denver Public Library, People Skills are the Most Important Quality When Choosing Digital Navigators  |  Read below  |  Shelli Golson-Mickens  |  Analysis  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Platforms/A.I./Social Media

Tech giants' dreams of AI price hikes meet resistance  |  Read below  |  Ina Fried  |  Axios
President Donald Trump rescinds Biden-era executive order on AI safety  |  Read below  |  Justine Calma  |  Vox
Editorial | Trump Gives TikTok an Illegal Amnesty  |  Wall Street Journal
Trump tech agenda begins with $500 Billion private AI plan and cuts to regulation  |  Washington Post
Google invests further $1 Billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic  |  Financial Times
TikTok owner ByteDance plans to spend $12 billion on AI chips in 2025  |  Financial Times
Microsoft secures deal to restore Amazon rainforest and offset AI emissions  |  Financial Times
Tech companies want teens to use their apps. Pinterest says not in school.  |  Washington Post
For AI to make government work better, reduce risk and increase transparency  |  Brookings
OpenAI has upped its lobbying efforts nearly sevenfold  |  MIT Technology Review

Journalism

The Ankler launches standalone trade publication on the creator economy  |  Axios

Lobbying

Big Tech Goes to Washington to ‘Kiss Trump’s Ring’—But MAGA Fans Remain Skeptical  |  Wrap, The

Policymakers

FCC FY 2024 Annual Performance Report  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Carr Ends FCC's Promotion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  |  Read below  |  FCC Chairman Brendan Carr  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
Commissioner Gomez on Culture Wars and Ending Diversity Equity and Inclusion Efforts  |  Read below  |  FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Announces Staff Appointments  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
What to expect now that Brendan Carr is FCC chief  |  Read below  |  Masha Abarinova  |  Fierce
High praise all around for Trump FCC nominee Olivia Trusty  |  Fierce
Two titans explain why Silicon Valley veered right  |  Read below  |  Derek Robertson  |  Politico

Stories From Abroad

Google won't add fact checks despite new EU law  |  Read below  |  Sara Fischer  |  Axios
Google rushed to sell AI tools to Israel’s military after Hamas attack  |  Washington Post
Today's Top Stories

BEAD Needs All Technologies to Succeed

Ellis Scherer, Joe Kane  |  Analysis  |  Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program faces serious hurdles in its goal to “make sure that every American has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet.” For one, traditional broadband is capital intensive, requiring large initial investments to deploy infrastructure. The theory behind BEAD was that it would resolve this issue through a massive one-time lump-sum expenditure to deploy broadband infrastructure to every American. However, we are now three years removed from when BEAD legislation was passed, and it has become clear that technological advancements have outrun the program’s regulatory guidelines. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has designed the program to give it a strong preference for using expensive fiber-optic cables. But technological developments since BEAD’s inception make that approach harmful to the ultimate goal of closing the digital divide.

Alabama’s Broadband Model for the Nation

Matt Dunne  |  Op-Ed  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Alabama has become a national model for state initiative and success in broadband policy and strategy, showcasing the effectiveness of early planning, substantial executive and legislative support, and strategic use of federal funds. Since 2017, Alabama leaders have consistently acted on the vision of a connected state, supporting and funding broadband initiatives designed to reach every community, from population centers to the state’s rural Black Belt. Alabama has created a lasting blueprint for digital access and economic opportunity through shared vision and effort among the legislature, Governor Kay Ivey’s office, and the agency tasked with execution of the state’s broadband plans, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). This effective government commitment, combined with ongoing partnership with the private sector, has led to remarkable gains across several key areas since the Alabama legislature and Gov. Ivey kickstarted Alabama’s rural broadband efforts in 2017. For example, according to the Federal Communications Commission, the percentage of Alabama residents without access to high-speed internet decreased from 16 percent in 2017 to 6 percent in 2024. 

[Matt Dunne is the founder and executive director of the Center on Rural Innovation, a national nonprofit committed to advancing economic prosperity in rural America through the creation of inclusive tech economy ecosystems that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation.]

Cox settles lawsuit against RI's broadband improvement program. What to know.

Patrick Anderson  |  Providence Journal

Cox Communications has dropped its lawsuit challenging how Rhode Island plans to use $108 million in federal broadband money. "The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and Cox Communications are pleased to announce that the litigation between the parties has been voluntarily dismissed," the company and Rhode Island Commerce Corporation said in a joint statement. "Both parties have worked together to reach this resolution and are eager to move forward positively with a commitment to a shared goal of ensuring all Rhode Islanders have access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet." In the lawsuit, Cox argued that the state maps that determine where the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program money will be spent failed to account for all of the infrastructure already in place and underestimated internet speeds. Since then, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has ruled on Cox's challenges to the Rhode Island maps, and that has resulted in changes to where new systems will be built. Exactly how much changed and where was not immediately clear.

At the Denver Public Library, People Skills are the Most Important Quality When Choosing Digital Navigators

Shelli Golson-Mickens  |  Analysis  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Following up on the release of The Human Infrastructure of Broadband: Looking Back, Looking Around, and Looking Ahead, we are providing examples of core, complementary, and coalition models for digital equity work. With 27 locations, the Denver Public Library (DPL) is an innovative hub for digital equity throughout the city, serving more than 700,000 residents. The library provides more than 1,400 public internet computers that receive more than 250,000 uses annually, as well as free public Wi-Fi. Devices and internet hotspots also are available for checkout. The library offers a variety of resources to learn new technology skills, from classes to one-on-one help in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish. The range of skills that are taught also varies widely—everything from moving a mouse and learning the parts of the computer to using spreadsheets, WordPress, and introductory coding in Python. While the library is open to all, staff specifically target outreach to people experiencing homelessness, justice-involved individuals, immigrants, refugees, people who speak a language other than English at home, and people with intellectual and physical disabilities. “Challenging Inequity” is one of the Denver Public Library’s five values in action, and its mission is “Together, we create welcoming spaces where all are free to explore and connect.”

Tech giants' dreams of AI price hikes meet resistance

Ina Fried  |  Axios

Recent moves by Microsoft and Google show many business customers are balking at forking over a separate fee each month to give employees access to a work-friendly artificial intelligence chatbot. Both companies previously expressed high hopes that businesses would be willing to pay an extra $20 or $30 per employee per month for access to AI tools alongside everyday productivity apps. For business leaders, the cost-benefit analysis for this kind of AI deployment is still tricky. You don't need to get a lot of extra productivity per worker to justify an additional $30 a month, considering how much the average worker is paid. On the other hand, without knowing for certain the benefits, $30 per employee per month is a significant expense—in the millions of dollars a year for companies with tens of thousands of employees

President Donald Trump rescinds Biden-era executive order on AI safety

Justine Calma  |  Vox

In his executive actions on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump rescinded an executive order Joe Biden signed in 2023 to establish safety guidelines for generative artificial intelligence. The Biden-era order required developers of large AI models like OpenAI’s GPT lineup to share the results of safety tests with the US government. It also directed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards for safety testing, and it tasked other federal agencies with assessing any potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, cybersecurity, or critical infrastructure risks AI might pose. Trump has made the development of new AI tools a priority for his administration. His inauguration was stacked with tech heavyweights, some of whom donated to the president’s inauguration budgetJeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark ZuckerbergTim CookShou Zi Chew, Sundar Pichaiand Sam Altman were all reported in attendance yesterday.

Chairman Carr Ends FCC's Promotion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

Pursuant to the policies stated in President Trump's “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” Executive Order, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that he is ending the FCC’s promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  Chairman Carr will focus the agency’s work on competently carrying out the Commission’s statutory mission, as defined by Congress, without promoting invidious forms of discrimination. In the very first section of the Communications Act, Congress stated that it created the FCC for the purpose of regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication “without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex,” and Congress has expressly tasked the FCC with the important mission of increasing accessibility in the communications sector. Promoting invidious forms of discrimination runs contrary to the Communications Act and deprives Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law.  It also represents a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer resources.  Nonetheless, the FCC joined other private and public sector institutions in promoting discriminatory DEI policies during the Biden Administration.  The FCC did so by embedding DEI in its strategic priorities, budget requests, advisory groups, rulemaking proceedings, and many other components of its official work. Here is what I am doing:

  • Eliminating the Promotion of DEI from the FCC’s Strategic Plan.  
  • Eliminating the Promotion of DEI from the FCC’s Budget. 
  • Eliminating the FCC’s DEI Advisory Group.  
  • Rescinding the FCC’s DEI Equity Action Plan. 
  • Ending the FCC’s DEI Task Force. 
  • Eliminating DEI from the FCC’s Advisory Committee Directive.  
  • Eliminating the Promotion of DEI from the FCC’s Annual Performance Plans. 
  • Eliminating DEI Analysis from FCC Economic Reports. 

Commissioner Gomez on Culture Wars and Ending Diversity Equity and Inclusion Efforts

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

What a shame. The Federal Communications Commission was created for the purpose of ‘regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio so as to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, a rapid, efficient, Nationwide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service. . .’  Most recently, in the [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act], Congress directed the Commission to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination. Turning off the light on initiatives aimed at helping us find what causes inequality kneecaps our ability to implement these congressional directives. It is our foundational mission to serve all – without discrimination. Let’s be clear, diversity, equity, and inclusion does not equal discrimination. It is precisely our efforts to be equitable and inclusive that strengthen our ability to fulfill our mission. Over the years, the Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC) and its multiple predecessors, first chartered under former Chairman Michael Powell in 2003, have offered valuable recommendations to the FCC. I am deeply familiar with the important work this advisory group does for our agency.  Former Chairman Ajit Pai created its immediate predecessor in 2017, the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment, and appointed me as Vice Chair and subsequently Chair.  It is a shame that the current administration does not see value in the recommendations from telecommunications industry leaders, consumer experts, and local government officials. It is important that the Commission is not distracted by culture wars and is focused instead on the important work we have to do to ensure everyone, everywhere is connected, including communities historically left behind.  It bears repeating, our foundational mission is to serve all.  I will continue to live this mission and advance it as a commissioner.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Announces Staff Appointments

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr announced staff appointments to the Office of the Chairman and to the FCC:

  • Scott Delacourt, Chief of Staff for the Federal Communications Commission
  • Greg Watson, Chief of Staff for the Office of Chairman Carr
  • Arpan Sura, Senior Counsel – Spectrum and Technology
  • Danielle Thumann, Senior Counsel – Wireline, Public Safety, and Consumer Protection
  • Erin Boone, Senior Counsel – Media and Enforcement
  • Adam Chan, National Security Counsel
  • Anthony Patrone, Legal Advisor
  • Callie Coker, Legal Advisor
  • Matt Mittelstaedt, Director, Office of Legislative Affairs
  • Stephanie Chambless, Special Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
  • Drema Johnson, Confidential Assistant

What to expect now that Brendan Carr is FCC chief

Masha Abarinova  |  Fierce

President Donald Trump’s second inauguration came and went, and that means Brendan Carr has officially taken the reins at the Federal Communications Commission. Much of Carr’s telecommunications policy agenda has already been laid out, featuring deregulation galore. Whether tighter regulations on the state front could damper that game plan is tough to say. Chairman Carr issued a statement saying the FCC has “important work ahead” on issues ranging from “tech and media regulation to unleashing new job opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure and the space economy.” And he’s been fairly transparent about pushing forth policies that “[eliminate] regulatory drags on consumer broadband,” said Joe Kane, director of broadband and spectrum policy at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. 

Two titans explain why Silicon Valley veered right

Derek Robertson  |  Politico

The jarring prominence of tech CEOs at President Donald Trump’s inauguration—positioned, as many noted, in front of Trump’s Cabinet picks—represents a massive sea change in American business and its cultural politics. The tech world’s turn to the right post-election has captivated anyone who watched these companies serve as a GOP punching bag for the past several years. There are plenty of good business reasons for any billionaire to want a healthy relationship with the notoriously transactional Trump administration, and equally numerous reasons for Trump to show off how much corporate America has fallen in line. But as cynical as both motives seem, there’s also something deeper about the politics of tech culture afoot—or at least the political frustrations of tech-world bosses operating in the West Coast cultural milieu. In the days leading up to the inauguration, two tech leaders in separate contexts explained, from their own perspectives, the complex cultural phenomena that led to this point. The two have different politics, but both are thought leaders from the world of venture capital, so they speak a little more freely than your typical corporate executives. Marc Andreessen, a major Trump booster who was involved with the new president’s transition, and Paul Graham, who urged moderates to vote for Kamala Harris, now both argue that the progressive norms that have transformed American institutions since Barack Obama’s second term hit especially hard in Silicon Valley. That, combined with (and maybe, in their telling, responsible for) the Biden administration’s adversarial relationship with the tech industry, led to the remarkable scene at Trump’s inauguration.

FCC FY 2024 Annual Performance Report

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

On January 17 the Federal Communications Commission released its Annual Performance Report for 2024. The report highlights the advances the agency made in 2024 towards advancing goals such as:

  • Pursuing policies to help bring affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband to 100 percent of the country.
  • Advancing equity.
  • Empowering consumers. 
  • Enhancing public safety and national security.
  • Advancing America's global competitiveness.
  • Fostering operational excellence.

Google won't add fact checks despite new EU law

Sara Fischer  |  Axios

Google has told the European Union it will not add fact checks to search results and YouTube videos or use them in ranking or removing content, despite the requirements of a new EU law. Google has never included fact-checking as part of its content moderation practices. The company had signaled privately to EU lawmakers that it didn't plan to change its practices, but it's reaffirming its stance ahead of a voluntary code becoming law in the near future. In a letter written to Renate Nikolay, the deputy director general under the content and technology arm at the European Commission, Google's global affairs president Kent Walker said the fact-checking integration required by the Commission's new Disinformation Code of Practice "simply isn't appropriate or effective for our services" and said Google won't commit to it.

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Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.


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Kevin Taglang

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Benton Institute
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