Nearly half of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program’s funding won’t be used for broadband deployment projects, partly a result of new Trump Administration rules aimed at cost-cutting. When those new rules were instituted in June 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) rescinded approval for any non-deployment activities, something state broadband offices had been planning on pursuing. Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton and Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative Director Kathryn de Wit said they’re optimistic that states will ultimately see their non-deployment money, even if it’s not yet clear exactly how they’ll be able to use it.

A total of 484 student households in Grant County (NM) are receiving high-speed internet, thanks to a New Mexico Student Connect grant program designed to provide broadband access to rural students across New Mexico. The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) joined TWN Communications, state leaders, and local officials at Silver High School to celebrate the launch of a $1.5 million Student Connect grant project connecting rural students and school staff in Silver City. TWN is using the state funding to upgrade five towers, build fixed wireless service, and provide equipment for designated student homes. TWN will connect unserved and underserved rural students. Participating students and staff will also receive up to three years of complimentary broadband, enabling students to connect to educational resources at home and closing the digital divide. OBAE has approved 12 Student Connect grants, totaling $23 million. All Student Connect projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

In November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) burst into everyday life in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and communities. For education, the rapid acceleration of this technology provided new opportunities that could transform assessments, personalize learning, and support instruction, but it also raised uncertainty and concerns about policies that would impact professional development, access and equity, data privacy, and student safety. Questions have also emerged about what counts as digital literacy, AI literacy, and even how both relate to computer science. New America explores these questions through a literature review, stakeholder interviews, a focus group of educators and students, and a 50-state scan of the digital literacy skills landscape. The work affirms that digital literacy is as fundamental as reading, writing, and math. Stakeholders in education describe digital literacy as a foundation that everyone needs, AI literacy as a major core component of digital literacy, and computer science as a discipline that contributes computational concepts and practices to strengthen AI literacy. Taken together, the United States needs a comprehensive national digital literacy skills framework with measurable outcomes, and aligned systems and policies that integrate digital literacy, AI literacy, and CS.