This country has long valued ensuring connectivity for all—regardless of income, location, or circumstance. The Universal Service Fund or USF has been an essential part of that promise, providing the funding necessary to connect millions of Americans. Whether through a phone line, broadband connection, or both, access to communications has been critical for economic opportunity and equality. When we invest in connectivity, we invest in people. We invest in their futures. We invest in the next generation’s ability to learn, in rural communities’ access to healthcare, and in working families’ ability to thrive in an increasingly digital world. And it is always important to remember the big picture, ensuring widespread access to broadband is a key ingredient to continued economic leadership.  The Universal Service Fund supports essential programs that address that goal by reaching nearly every corner of the country: More than 54 million students, and over 132,000 schools and library sites rely on the ERate program for internet access. This ensures that no child is left behind due to lack of broadband....  In recent years, members of both parties have come together in an effort to protect and strengthen the USF. However, despite this broad support, the program remains under threat. There is no way that we can ensure connectivity for all if we accept that market forces and realities will simply leave schools, hospitals, and low-income people -- especially those in hard to reach areas -- on the wrong side of the digital divide. Failure to protect the program would disproportionately impact those who need connectivity the most, deepening economic and social inequalities. For decades, the USF has stood as a promise to the American people: that no community will be left behind in the digital age. We must honor that promise. The stakes are too high to turn back now. 

In early March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick proposed changes to a federal broadband connectivity program that would favor Low Earth Orbit satellite connectivity, like Starlink, over fiber optic, a faster and more reliable form of internet access. Critics say Secretary Lutnick’s proposal to prioritize LEO will worsen the digital divide by abandoning rural communities without the long term economic benefits of fiber optic infrastructure. Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, is a $42 billion grant program created by the Biden administration under the Infrastructure, Investments, and Jobs Act of 2021. BEAD aims to connect 25 million Americans with high speed internet in all 56 states and territories. Lutnick’s proposed changes would exacerbate the digital divide between rural and urban residents, according to the Benton Institute’s Broadband & Society Director of Policy Engagement Drew Garner. Garner said that fiber optic infrastructure is faster, more reliable, and a larger driver of economic growth compared to satellite internet technology.

It’s fairly obvious by now long-haul fiber and data center connectivity matter for AI innovation. But where do last mile fiber-to-the-premises deployments factor in? Network automation is perhaps the most apparent use-case, but fiber operators are also be well-positioned to house future AI edge applications. According to Jack Gold, founder and principal analyst at J.Gold Associates, fiber has an advantage at the edge as it’s an area where satellite providers like Starlink can struggle. “Starlink has a significant latency problem for things like AI, since the round trip to the satellite, and speed of network are vastly slower than a fiber connection, and more costly as well,” Gold said. Then there's using AI for FTTP network deployment and automation. Nokia recently unveiled the Broadband Easy platform, which leverages AI to provide operators “full visibility and control” of the entire fiber rollout process. Analysts indicated the technology could be a saving grace for companies riddled with rising deployment costs. 

On March 25, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to request that the Department of Defense turn over any Biden-era documents referring to the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction authority. In the letter, Sen Cruz details allegations that Biden-era DOD officials pressured defense contractors to lobby against reauthorizing auction authority. He wrote, “Specifically, the Committee has been made aware that multiple Pentagon officials and career staff during the Biden administration engaged directly with members of the United States defense industrial base and encouraged, and potentially pressured, them to lobby the Congress in opposition to legislation related to reauthorizing the Federal Communications Commission spectrum auction authority. This kind of jawboning is corrosive to the trust between elected lawmakers and Pentagon officials and is precisely why Congress outlawed direct lobbying by executive branch agencies in the first place."