Local/Municipal

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.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) is proud to name 58 local governments as 2025 Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, recognizing their critical efforts to close the digital divide.  Representing 25 states, the 2025 pool of applicants is one of the largest for new Trailblazers, and demonstrates the ongoing importance of municipal, county, and regional governments in bringing digital opportunities to their residents. NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers has set the national standard for excellent digi

2025 was another costly year of natural disasters in the U.S.—from the LA wildfires to the Texas floods. The first half of the year alone was the most costly on record, totaling over $101 billion. Beyond damage in dollars, communities were upended, and livelihoods disrupted, exposing the need for stronger disaster preparedness and resiliency.

Local governments and large industry trade groups are not aligned on the idea of wireline permitting reforms.

Data centers aren’t typically something you see advertised. But these recent ads aren’t trying to sell you on a graphics processing unit (GPU), cloud platform, or some other product.

A total of 484 student households in Grant County (NM) are receiving high-speed internet, thanks to a New Mexico Student Connect grant program designed to provide broadband access to rural students across New Mexico. The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) joined TWN Communications, state leaders, and local officials at Silver High School to celebrate the launch of a $1.5 million Student Connect grant project connecting rural students and school staff in Silver City.

One float stood out among the tinsel and holiday cheer at the annual Christmas parade in Sand Springs (OK): an unsightly data center with blinding industrial lights and smoke pouring out of its roof, towering menacingly over a helpless gingerbread house. Sand Springs, bordering Tulsa, is a battleground, one of many across the country, where companies seeking to build massive data centers to win the artificial intelligence (AI) race with China are coming up against the reality of local politics.

Tech companies and developers looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don’t want to live next to them, or even near them. Communities across the United States are reading about—and learning from—each other’s battles against data center proposals that are fast multiplying in number and size to meet steep demand as developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources.

The Lake County (IL) Digital Equity Coalition is proud of the work it’s done getting vulnerable populations connected to the modern world, but uncertainty lies ahead for it and many programs as COVID-era federal funding draws to a close. The coalition is part of the broader Digital Growth Initiative, which came about when the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plan was passed in December 2023 through the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

The Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance launched in June of 2025 with a clear goal: to make sure no one in Western North Carolina is left on the wrong side of the digital divide. As the nation and state invest billions in broadband infrastructure, local coordination and community voice have never been more important. In just six months, the BRBA has brought together leaders, industry experts, public officials, and passionate members of the WNC community to learn, collaborate, and advocate for the region’s needs.