Broadband Breakfast
11 AI Bills Cleared Committee this Summer, But None Has Reached the House Floor
Eleven bills carrying most of a bipartisan artificial intelligence package cleared the House Science Committee in July, and a separate bill setting safety rules for the most powerful AI systems could get a hearing in November, said Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA). He said the pieces could be combined into a single bill eligible for a floor vote in December. The package started as the Great American AI Act, a 269-page discussion draft Obernolte released with Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) on June 4, 2026.
SpaceX Still Pushing to Slash High Cost Fund
SpaceX is still pushing federal regulators to slash a broadband subsidy that supports rural internet service providers the company is increasingly competing with for subscribers. Three SpaceX attorneys and satellite policy chief Joseph Bissonnette recently met with staff from the Federal Communications Commission to press their case.
An Enduring Commitment to Universal Service Transformed Alaska
It used to be a real challenge to talk to someone across Alaska, or across the country. Many Alaskans remember waiting in line to use the only telephone in a village. For me, it was the phone at the winter watchman's house in Ekuk. We each got a few minutes because everyone was waiting. Long-distance calls were expensive, and simply talking to family or conducting business required patience and persistence. Even after the internet arrived, connectivity remained limited in many parts of Alaska.
The Impracticality of Widescale Fiber Broadband in Alaska
Recently released records show that the Biden administration’s heavy fiber focus for broadband deployment was extraordinarily costly to taxpayers. Obtained by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S.
How Corning is Making Fiber Available for BEAD Winners
Corning is staggering shipments of fiber for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment projects to match deployment schedules. It’s an effort to ensure supply that could be used by another award winner isn’t collecting dust in a warehouse, said Bob Whitman, Corning’s vice president of market development, who spoke at Mountain Connect in Denver (CO).
Fifth Circuit Judges Probe USF Spending, Administrator
Judges probed the role of the $8 billion-per-year Universal Service Fund and its administrator. Conservative nonprofit Consumers’ Research is challenging the Federal Communications Commission program again, after a defeat at the Supreme Court in 2025. USF supports building and maintaining rural broadband networks, plus voice and internet discounts for low-income households, schools, and healthcare centers.
Super-Sizing Benefits of the Big Beautiful Bill
This July marks the one-year anniversary of the Big Beautiful Bill’s enactment.
House Republicans Question Future of Federal Broadband Programs
House Republicans repeatedly questioned whether the federal government still needs roughly 130 programs supporting broadband access. The issue surfaced throughout a hearing of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
Texas AG Candidate Vows to Investigate SpaceX’s BEAD Awards
Texas’ Democratic candidate for attorney general says, if elected, he would investigate whether SpaceX got preferential treatment in receiving $109 million in state broadband grants. The remarks by Nathan Johnson, a state senator, come after the state revised its broadband grant process following the Trump administration’s restructuring of a $42.45 billion federal broadband expansion initiative.