Level of Government

Most state and territorial broadband offices have completed subgrantee selections for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program last-mile connectivity projects and submitted their final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The Federal Communications Commission announced the initial success of “Operation Clean Carts.”  Federal law prohibits the sale or marketing of certain electronic equipment—including certain devices produced by Chinese entities like Huawei, ZTE, Dahua, and Hikvision—that the FCC has placed on the agency’s Covered List due to national security determinations.  Nonetheless, many online retailers and e-commerce sites have continued to sell, or allowed third-parties to sell, those devices.

Kudos are due to the Trump Administration for making key changes to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to bring it into line with its underlying statute, while  generating  a better outcome at a fraction of the price. While state submissions are still being reviewed, the program’s total cost could ultimately come in 30 to 50 percent lower than its budgeted amount, saving upwards of $20 billion or more. Even in D.C., that is real money. The well-earned outcome raises questions over what to do with any savings.

The work of digital navigators across the country was to be propped up by a $2.75 billion federal program that was abruptly canceled this spring.

On Sept. 3, the Nebraska Broadband Office, or NBO, released its draft final proposal for how to spend $405 million in federal broadband funds. Advocates for rural broadband like myself fought hard for that money, challenging providers’ overstated coverage and identifying tens of thousands of missing locations. The federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, promised to fix rural broadband in Nebraska once and for all. Instead, NBO fumbled. Out of $405 million, the plan spends barely $43 million and connects fewer than 1,300 locations to fiber broadband.

A key component of expanding access to high-speed internet, increasing the affordability of connectivity and devices, and providing meaningful digital skills training  is defining what it means to be digitally prepared. Recognizing that digital access alone is not enough, this project introduces the North Carolina Digital Skills Standards, a statewide framework that identifies  the essential knowledge and abilities residents need to engage in civic, economic, and social life.  The key six areas of focus are: 1. Digital Identity 2. Digital Wellbeing 3. Digital Relationships 4.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed new landmark legislation to further strengthen the state’s protections for children online and create safeguards for new and emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI).

What comes after Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program? While BEAD will build good broadband networks in a lot of rural communities, it’s becoming clear that BEAD is not going to solve a lot of the rural broadband gap. I start with the premise that rural communities are not going to be happy when somebody officially tells them that the federal government is giving money to Starlink or Kuiper to solve their rural broadband gap.

States across the country are forging ahead with their own rules for AI procurement and use in an effort to boost government efficiency and improve public services. With Congress stalled on comprehensive AI legislation, several states are providing early examples of how governments can use the technology at scale. A sampling of state AI moves across the country:

HumanX and Humanrace Capital have tapped Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) to launch the AI Coalition, a nonprofit meant to help smaller AI companies and startups get access to Washington. Without a voice in D.C., startups fear they could be sidelined by the heavy compliance costs of inconsistent state laws or onerous federal rules.