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New Mexico’s Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program (LITAP) took a key step toward becoming law on February 13 with its unanimous passage by the State Senate. Senate Bill 152 would provide $10 million in funding to help as many as 27,000 low-income residents in need in New Mexico get broadband. The funding will come from the Public Regulation Commission’s State Rural Universal Service Fund.

Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, has served the telecommunications industry for about 40 years and will retire in March. Bloomfield said that, despite the big technological changes she has witnessed, the industry’s overriding purpose is the same. “At the end of the day, it’s all about connectivity,” she said. “How do you make sure everybody has access? The thing I’ve always loved — and that continues to drive my passion — is working with companies who take to heart their mission to serve their neighbors and their communities.

Protecting the concept of Universal Service and promoting an effective Universal Service Fund (USF) has long been the defining issue for NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, which is why NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield was so relieved when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the USF in June of 2025. “Talk about feeling like a 100,000-pound weight got lifted off your shoulders,” Bloomfield said. “I was proud of the NTCA board for allocating the resources for us to intervene in that case and be a player. It’s not something we’ve done in the past.

The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program had immense promise to close the digital divide, said Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. But changes to the BEAD Program are weakening its effectiveness. The biggest challenge to the promise of BEAD is the revised guidelines’ emphasis on technology neutrality.

Some rural broadband providers are early adopters of artificial intelligence while others remain skeptical—but NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association's Shirley Bloomfield says it’s clear AI is a powerful tool for the industry when used correctly. When asked if she is skeptical or bullish about AI, Bloomfield said, “I generally come down on the bullish side. I think there are so many interesting efficiencies that AI can bring.” Bloomfield said increasing efficiency is critical for rural broadband providers, and AI can play a role in everything from network design to customer service.

The wireless industry has long complained that high regulatory fees, strict regulations on tower placement and aesthetics, and other rules imposed by state and local governments are needlessly delaying the spread of modern infrastructure, especially in rural areas. Now, the wireless industry claims, local regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) systems could be contributing to the problem. In recent comments to the Federal Communications Commission, wireless companies and associations supported FCC proposals to speed up state and local approvals of wireless infrastructure construction.