The number of cooperatives (co-ops) bridging the broadband divide continues to grow. More than 240 of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative's (NRTC) electric members have deployed broadband for their communities, while leveraging these technologies for a smarter grid. Findings from NRTC and NRECA's report include:

• Members are expanding their networks and their impact on their communities: As we’re now years into the movement of electric co-op broadband, we’re seeing projects expand as co-ops continue to benefit their communities. 89 percent saw an economic benefit in their area due to broadband, and every NRTC survey respondent is leveraging grants to fund this expansion.
• Competition is increasing significantly, yet our members are competing well: 90 precent have seen increased competition and 88 percent expect increased competition in the next 3 years.
• Costs continue to increase: Cost per aerial mile & per passing for newer projects are over 50 percent higher than earlier ones.
• Networks are increasingly more capable: 64 percent are using XGS-PON and therefore many more members are offering 2 Gbps residential plans, while more members are using fiber to connect substations and downline devices for smart grid.

Our administration is fully committed to delivering high-speed internet access to all West Virginians as quickly and efficiently as possible. Contrary to the myth that West Virginia is dragging its feet, the opposite is true. Under our leadership and with the full support of President Donald Trump, we are moving faster, smarter, and more collaboratively than ever before. We are proud to partner with Secretary Howard Lutnick and his team at the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as with our federal delegation, who are working diligently to accelerate the rollout of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program nationwide. Their guidance and commitment to flexibility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness have been critical in enabling states like West Virginia to not only meet the original expectations of the program — but to exceed them. Thanks to regular communication between the West Virginia Office of Broadband and the U.S. Department of Commerce, we are on track to make West Virginia one of the first states in line to receive BEAD funding and begin implementation. This partnership is allowing us to customize our approach, ensuring that our broadband expansion will be bigger, better, and built to last. It also allows us to work with the Trump Administration to avoid some of the woke and fiscally irresponsible portions of the Biden Administration plan. West Virginia is not just participating in BEAD — we are redefining what success looks like. We’re expanding the definition of service to include not only fiber but also fixed wireless and satellite, particularly in our mountainous and remote regions where traditional infrastructure is impractical or cost-prohibitive. This gives us a greater reach, faster timelines, and a smarter investment of taxpayer dollars.

While the tech industry floors the pedal on AI, the U.S. public would be happy to hit the brakes. More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) want companies to create AI slowly and get it right the first time, even if that delays breakthroughs, the 2025 Axios Harris 100 poll found. Only 23 percent of Americans want companies to develop AI quickly to speed breakthroughs, even at the price of mistakes along the way. CEOs, investors and tech companies have pushed the narrative of a do-or-die AI race — but most people would rather get AI right than get it first. The notion of an AI "race" has shaped the new technology's development at every level. All this racing has spurred investment and development, but the public hasn't yet bought into the narrative. The Axios-Harris poll respondents may simply have drawn an important lesson from bitter experience with the rise of smartphones and social media over the last two decades; business-model-driven mistakes in the early phase of technology adoption are almost impossible to correct once a new platform's cement hardens.