This week in "What's New in Digital Equity" -- our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news -- we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:
A new BEAD Tracker provides insight into states' plans for federal investments through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Connected Nation, a nonprofit organization focused on expanding Internet access and adoption, released this interactive dashboard to serve as a transparency tool into states' spending plans.
"Information about state BEAD plans is changing on a daily basis," Tom Ferree, chairman and CEO of Connected Nation, said in a statement. "Policymakers, Internet service providers -- in fact, all Americans -- need to see how states plan to invest those funds."
The U.S. Congress has allocated $42.45 billion in funding to states through the BEAD program to support broadband expansion efforts. Following the recent termination of digital equity grant funding programs under the Digital Equity Act, states are increasingly focusing efforts on the investments from the BEAD program.
Recent changes at the federal government level have already delayed digital equity work. Changes to the BEAD program, specifically, were unveiled in June after months of review, requiring states to conduct an additional round of subgrantee selection dubbed the "Benefit of the Bargain Round." This change is said to have caused delays in shovel-ready states like Nevada.
The new dashboard from Connected Nation will simplify access to states' plans for funds allocated through the Benefit of the Bargain Round.
The tool aggregates states' final proposals for the BEAD program, highlighting how the dollars will be spent. This includes the total number of locations slated to be served by various Internet service providers and the types of broadband technology being funded. Users can also view information specific to an individual state, broadband platform, or service provider.
A new AI Computer Resource Lab in Baltimore, Md., equipped with AI-powered PCs, aims to support youth and seniors in the city with AI tools and training. The new community resource center aims to support digital equity, workforce development and student learning for Baltimoreans.
"Residents will be able to access state-of-the-art technology with a tailored curriculum to help build foundational knowledge in the growing field of AI," Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement, emphasizing that it will be available at no cost to community members.
The lab's creation was a partnership between NWN, Intel Corporation, and Baltimore Recreation and Parks.
Colorado State University Global has partnered with SCTE to train broadband professionals in the state.
The partnership offers a Broadband Operations Management Certificate, an online, asynchronous program integrating hands-on experience. The training focuses on broadband infrastructure, fiber optics, directional drilling, utility safety and leadership skills.
The program aims to offer affordable training, with special tuition rates for SCTE members.
Broadband expansion is expected to significantly impact the workforce, and states like Ohio and others are investing in building the skills needed in the workforce to carry out broadband infrastructure deployment.
In order to win the AI race, the U.S. needs to have the infrastructure to support AI. While the focus is often on data centers and chip manufacturers, the role of wireless infrastructure can be overlooked.
"The need for reliable, high-speed wireless connectivity to handle the demand for real-time [AI] applications then becomes critical," according to an article from Patrick Halley, president and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, which cites wireless carriers' expectations for an 80 percent increase in data consumption over the next five years as a result of AI.
This demand will require additional computing power, and other competing countries in the AI race like China have invested in this infrastructure. China has 2 million cell towers deployed, compared to about 155,000 in the U.S.
The FCC's Build America Agenda does indicate hopes for the U.S. to restore its leadership in wireless and to compete against China in the race for "critical technologies like 5G, 6G and AI," but Halley's article calls on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation establishing a national permitting framework for building wireless infrastructure.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has submitted comments to the FCC in response to its annual inquiry into U.S. broadband deployment. The underlying message from NRECA is that the FCC should "be more aggressive" in terms of the fixed broadband speed benchmark in its next Section 706 Report.
The concern, as outlined in these comments, is that the FCC's report may not accurately reflect the reality of the broadband market: "100/20 Mbps is anything but 'advanced.'"
The comments also emphasize that mobile broadband service is not a substitute for fixed broadband, but rather, it is complementary. And the comments urge the FCC to recognize that rurality in and of itself is "perhaps the most fundamental challenge" to efficiently expanding telecommunications access.
Other stakeholders have also shared comments. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's comments, for example, call on the FCC to define broadband based on the realities of the user experience, rather than "arbitrary numbers."