Level of Government

Sens Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Peter Welch (D-VT) announced a new proposal building off of their landmark legislation to create a new independent federal agency to regulate frontier artificial intelligence models and social media. The AI Regulator Act would require pre-certification for frontier AI models, delay the public release of any AI model that could pose catastrophic risks without necessary safeguards, and issue formal rulemakings able to keep pace with the speed of innovat

Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez to issue a legal opinion addressing whether the Communications Act permits the Federal Communications Commission to legally operate with members from a single political party. He wrote, "As you know, President Trump recently nominated Danielle Thumann Severs to be an FCC Commissioner. If confirmed, she would become the third Republican commissioner on the FCC, with you as the sole Democrat.

Maverix Broadband pushed back on claims the company has misused millions of dollars in public funding that resulted in the Colorado Broadband Office freezing all projects linked to the company, including rescinding a federal grant for more than $100 million. The report caught the Parker-based internet provider off guard because they had been responding and providing hundreds of documents to state officials for months, said David Lindauer, the company’s cofounder.

Despite unprecedented broadband investment, the share of U.S. households relying solely on cellular data and mobile devices, or mobile-dependent households, increased from 11.9 to 14.1 percent between 2019 and 2024. This report introduces the MDH concept, which captures the "double whammy" of limited data and limited screen size, and examines its determinants before and after the COVID-19 pandemic using Census tract-level data.

Maine Connectivity Authority will host Maine’s 4th annual Digital Opportunity Workshop on Friday, October 2, bringing together digital opportunity practitioners, nonprofit leaders, and municipal and regional staff from across the state as part of na

In the Beckett play Happy Days, the main character, Winnie, begins the play buried to her waist in a mound of dirt. A bell rings. She wakes up. And she announces: “Another heavenly day.” She carries on. She goes through her routines. She talks incessantly. She is adapting to her circumstances. When the second act begins, the mound has risen to her neck.

The Pueblo of Zia will use a newly awarded broadband planning grant to support fiber connectivity to 193 unserved homes and 12 Tribal community institutions. The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has given the Pueblo in Sandoval County a $100,000 grant through OBAE’s Grant Writing, Engineering, and Planning Program. The state grant will help provide high-quality internet connectivity for the Pueblo of Zia’s Tribal Administration and community, installing 12 miles of fiber and related infrastructure. 

The Indiana Broadband Office has announced the results of the 18th round of the Indiana Connectivity Program, awarding $133,943 to connect 28 households across 15 counties. The Indiana Connectivity Program pairs unserved and underserved locations with broadband providers and awards them grants to help offset construction costs. The providers have nine months to complete their projects. Indiana Connectivity Program awards are announced every few months, and more are expected.

You’d be hard-pressed to find many people who don’t intuitively consider the internet essential infrastructure, and their broadband service an essential utility. The last time Congress comprehensively addressed how we should govern the communications landscape was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Thirty years ago, we went on the internet.

Leaders of several major artificial intelligence companies told United Nations members that robust international efforts to regulate the technology are required amid escalating concern that AI could pose a significant risk to humanity. Sam Altman, the chief executive of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, addressed leaders in the U.N.