Infrastructure

AI Buildout Worsening Supply Costs, Permit Worries, ISPs Say

Lumen said it was laying middle mile fiber next to strands reserved by hyperscalers

Jake Neenan

Jake Neenan

— 4 min read
AI Buildout Worsening Supply Costs, Permit Worries, ISPs Say
From left: Kelcee Griffis, telecom reporter at Bloomberg News; Harold Feld, senior vice president at Public Knowledge; Melissa Mann, chief policy officer at Lumen; Giulia McHenry, vice president of public Policy at AT&T; and Mark Walker, vice president of technology policy at CableLabs

Aug. 18, 2026 – Broadband providers are running into rising supply chain costs and permitting delays as they race to expand their networks, two major providers said Tuesday at the Technology Policy Institute's Aspen Forum in Colorado.

They worried the simultaneous AI buildout being undertaken by hyperscalers could exacerbate those issues.

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Infrastructure TPI Giulia McHenry Melissa Mann Lumen AT&T Harold Feld Public Knowledge BEAD Steve DelBianco Colorado

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