New America

New America announced  that Anne-Marie Slaughter will step down as CEO of the organization, after more than a decade in the role. She will become Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, effective February 2027.

On its march towards an AI-driven future, our federal government has stopped prioritizing whether all Americans can get online.

New America, a nonpartisan, solutions-oriented think tank, announced a new mission statement and visual identity to meet the challenges the country is facing at this crucial moment in our nation’s history. Over the past decade, New America has increasingly focused not only on thinking big about the changes this country needs, but also on how to work directly with the people most affected by policy. Its revised mission statement—generating big ideas and bold solutions for a new America—leans into this identity.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration asks what to do with the $21 billion it has yet to commit, but the question it should first ask is how to ensure the $21 billion that NTIA has already committed to broadband deployment accrues benefits to the American people rather than going to unused networks that sit gathering dust. It is important to consider that the “non-deployment” funds were intended to solve a particular problem—the persistent broadband adoption gap—that simply building more networks without addressing demand will do nothing to address.

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.

Recent advances in technology have dramatically expanded the potential for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to meet global connectivity needs. Satellites in orbit have grown tenfold over the past decade. LEO systems can now deliver faster speeds and lower latency than previous generations, enabling services ranging from broadband internet and remote backhaul to sensing networks and enterprise Internet of Things. This report by the LEO Policy Working Group highlights three salient LEO issues for policymakers to address.

Policymakers’ attempts to keep up with the shifting nature and increasing importance of communications services have fallen short, and the digital divide persists between those who have up-to-date technology access and those who do not.

Growing societal and parental concerns about the negative impacts of digital spaces are driving a new wave of youth online safety initiatives.