- Maine's Connectivity Study
- Congress to Trump: Follow Law on BEAD
- AI Infrastructure for Digital Equity
- Securing Networks From Cyber Attacks
- NDIA Calls for USF Reforms
MAINE'S CONNECTIVITY STUDY
The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) is kicking off a statewide planning process to study cellular connectivity. About 15 percent of U.S. adults are smartphone-only Internet users, meaning they only access the Internet through mobile devices rather than having broadband service at home.
MCA is charged with expanding broadband connectivity, but also with ensuring reliable cellular coverage.
The Authority’s efforts — in collaboration with technical experts, strategic engagement partners and other stakeholders — will center on a statewide survey that seeks to capture the lived experience of Maine residents, business owners and tourists. This survey will be open until Monday.
“We rely on people coming to visit Maine, to go to our restaurants, to stay in our lodges, and if people can’t get cellphone service they won’t necessarily come,” Maine state Rep. Liz Caruso said in a statement, underlining that cell coverage is critical for those with a medical emergency.
Survey data collected will inform the Interim Demand Report, which is slated to be made available for public feedback in early 2026. Community comments will be incorporated into the Cellular and Wireless Action Plan, which will come out in 2026.
MCA leadership will work to identify priority areas for infrastructure improvements and inform policy recommendations and strategic investments in cellular infrastructure.
Businesses, too, rely on cellphones and cellular coverage, Bar Harbor Town Council Chair Val Peacock noted in a statement, citing the need to communicate, process digital payments or call for help.
State leadership has been working to get residents online through various initiatives amidst a changing funding landscape. Maine officials have criticized the termination of the Digital Equity Act, arguing it will disproportionately impact older and rural residents, small businesses, veterans, low-income households and students.
CONGRESS TO TRUMP: FOLLOW LAW ON BEAD
“We remind you that any Executive Order issued by the President cannot override existing laws passed by Congress,” several members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee wrote in a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) last week.
It came amid reports that the Trump administration was considering an illegal executive order that would threaten to withhold Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding from states based on their AI laws.
This draft executive order, which faced bipartisan opposition, has been put on hold, as reported by Reuters.
In the letter, the committee members emphasized that NTIA’s BEAD Program implementation violates the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as passed by Congress.
AI INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DIGITAL EQUITY
This week, fiber connectivity provider Lightpath announced that it is expanding its AI-grade network in Greater Columbus, Ohio. This will support the expansion of network infrastructure that is built for AI-driven workloads. Construction is underway, with a phased completion timeline expected from the end of 2026 through mid-2027.
“This expansion sets the stage for continued growth and new AI-grade connectivity opportunities throughout the Midwest,” Tim Haverkate, Lightpath executive vice president of major infrastructure solutions, said in a statement.
An October report from Microsoft explores global AI use and infrastructure barriers that exist to accessing the technology. The report finds that while more than 1.2 billion people globally have used AI tools in less than three years, nearly 4 billion people lack the basic foundations needed to use these technologies: electricity, connectivity and computing. According to the report, electricity, data centers, the Internet, digital and AI skills, and language are the building blocks for AI.
Communities that do not have data centers will face an “AI chasm” if AI advances as predicted, the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation Director Nicol Turner Lee said during a November event.
Experts suggest that governments will need to prepare their infrastructure for AI.
SECURING NETWORKS FROM CYBER ATTACKS
Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media Chairman Deb Fischer highlighted the need to protect critical communications network infrastructure during growing security threats — including foreign cyber attacks and supply chain vulnerabilities. To achieve this goal, she said there is a need for improved collaboration between industry and government.
“As we grow more connected, we feel the impacts of network insecurity globally, nationally and locally,” she said in her opening statement at the subcommittee hearing this week.
She also noted that undersea cables, which carry more than 95 percent of international Internet traffic, have been disrupted recently. These cables carry sensitive government data and have, she said, faced accidental and intentional physical cuts — taking millions offline.
Fischer is a Nebraskan, and a district in her state, Kearney Public Schools, experienced a cyber attack in October. In addition, a series of 911 system outages across the state were caused by a lack of network diversity and redundancy, she said.
Last month, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released guidance for Internet service providers and other stakeholders about how to mitigate cyber criminal activity and safeguard networks.
NDIA CALLS FOR USF REFORMS
Pressure has built on federal programs in recent years, impacting broadband affordability and presenting access barriers even as service deployments continue.
The Universal Service Fund (USF), which was created to ensure all U.S. residents had access to telephone and — added later — Internet service, was scrutinized and subjected to a lawsuit in recent years over its constitutionality. In June, however, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling to preserve the fund. Since then, the U.S. Congress has been working to modernize the program — efforts that date to 2023 and the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral working group. The working group reconstituted itself this past June, inviting public input in August, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) responded.
NDIA urged Congress to do several things. First, it said, Congress should create a new Broadband Affordability Benefit Program funded through USF, and including data, voice and text services. Second, Congress should establish a National Digital Opportunity Foundation, funded in part by USF. Third, Congress should design a solution for increasing device access and ownership. And fourth, Congress should mandate a National Digital Opportunity Plan, and this should be used to benchmark progress.
