Local/Municipal

We are facing the multi-trillion-dollar march of private artificial intelligence (AI) data centers into our economy, politics, ecosystem, and cultural life. Amid calls for blanket moratoria and investments in data centers in space, how can the public assert a controlling interest in the development and outcomes of this technology? This essay proposes developing municipally owned, small-scale data center capacity to support municipal services and public-interest AI.

This report details the experiences of rural first responders in Pennsylvania working with information communication technologies (ICTs) and digital networks. Through a series of focus groups and interviews with law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical service providers, and 911 center representatives, along with county officials and other local stakeholders, we explore the challenges and opportunities brought by digital communication technologies for the work of rural first responders.

Twenty-five years ago, our nation experienced the deadliest terrorist attack in our history. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing that day.

ConnectLA is taking a proactive approach to permitting coordination to help broadband projects move efficiently from planning to construction. By being intentional and well-prepared in the permitting process, projects are able to move forward more efficiently, helping Louisiana reach full coverage by 2028, if not sooner. Since March, ConnectLA has hosted more than 150 permitting coordination and outreach events, engaging nearly 600 permitting agency contacts.

For Headlines readers who got nervous for me this morning, I’m fine, but… After five years, today is my last day working at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. When I was in college, one of my professors told me to subscribe to a newsletter, Benton’s Daily Digest (or “Headlines,” to me and to many). I thought it was crazy that such a comprehensive resource was published each morning, five days a week. Less than a year later, it became my job to put Headlines together every day.

This week, the Pennsylvania House Communications & Technology Committee held an informational meeting to discuss broadband access and affordability across the Commonwealth. Speakers from community anchor institutions, universities, public-interest organizations, and the private sector came to discuss broadband affordability—what is needed, what's been done, and what the future might look like.

“This is not an option any longer. Maybe it was 30 or 40 years ago when it first began, but today it’s part of our lives.” That was Pennsylvania State Rep.

Data centers are expanding into rural America. At a May 11, 2026 event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, expert practitioners and researchers explored data center expansion in rural communities, including topics such as:

• potential economic costs and benefits of data center development;
• workforce opportunities and skilled labor considerations;
• regional competitiveness and community preparation strategies; and
• real-world perspectives from communities experiencing this trend.

[May 11, 2026]

Throughout my career—as an educator, school board member, volunteer firefighter, fire chief, and community leader—I have learned that every important investment we make is ultimately an investment in people. Broadband is no different. It is not simply about technology. It is about opportunity. It is about whether a child has the same educational opportunities regardless of where they live, whether a volunteer firefighter has access to life-saving training, whether a family can connect to healthcare, and whether a rural community can participate fully in Pennsylvania's future.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently made a ruling that could end up eliminating one of the biggest rights-of-way issues that slow down fiber construction projects. In the case of CSX Transportation v. Zayo Group, LLC, the court ruled that the easement that CSX owns for its railroad tracks only applies to the surface of the Earth and that the railroad right-of-way does not extend either above or below the tracks.