Looking Ahead to Broadband & AI in the Next Congress

Concerns over data centers and the risks of artificial intelligence, including artificial superintelligence, have transformed the midterm elections. On the one hand, local communities are fighting the power, water and land demands of new data centers, and voters are feeling those costs in their electric bills. On the other hand, we're at a moment where broadband funds under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program are finally being deployed. What do informed policy observers and political hands feel about the Republicans' and the Democrats' prospects on November 3?

Panelists

• Blair Levin, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
• Joel Thayer, President, Digital Progress Institute
• Other panelists have been invited
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Blair Levin is a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Metro. Levin has also been involved in a number efforts to broaden broadband’s reach and effectiveness, including serving as the Executive Director of Gig.U: The Next Generation Network Innovation Project, an initiative of three dozen leading research university communities seeking to support educational and economic development by accelerating the deployment of next generation networks, leading the writing of a report for the World Bank and United Nations High Commission on Refugees on broadband for refugees, and most recently, working with the National Urban League to write the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion.

Joel Thayer is president of the Digital Progress Institute and an attorney based in Washington. Digital Progress Institute is a nonprofit seeking to bridge the policy divide between telecom and tech.

Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.

BROADBAND AND AI IN THE NEXT CONGRESS on DEC. 1

Early Bird Rate until Friday, Oct. 16!

Artificial Intelligence is now driving infrastructure investment and public policy. AI's future will depend not only on breakthroughs in computing, but on the networks, data centers, energy systems, workforce, and institutions that support it.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, Broadband Breakfast brings together lawmakers, regulators, industry leaders, and technology innovators at the National Press Club to examine the infrastructure behind intelligence, and the policies that will shape America's competitiveness in the AI era.

Grand Ballroom, National Press Club
529 14th Street NW
13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045

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Panel 1: What Do We Have to Fear? AI and Catastrophic Risk

Concerns over data centers and the risks of artificial intelligence, including artificial superintelligence, have transformed the midterm elections. And, in the next Congress, policymakers will be forced to confront the risks confronting America, both from rogue machines and rogue humans. Which threats deserve Washington's attention first? Should the most powerful AI models be restricted before release? How can the U.S. government hold bad actors accountable when the tools they use are cheap, powerful and widely available?

Panel 2: Permitting Reform and the AI Race

The federal government wants the United States to lead the global race in artificial intelligence. But the telecom providers and hyperscalers face years of red tape before they can lay fiber or break ground. Congress is weighing the American Broadband Deployment Act (H.R. 2289), which would streamline local and federal permitting, as well as creative right-of-way solutions. Pressure is also mounting to speed environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. How quickly can Washington act?

Panel 3: The Data Center Power Crisis and Ratepayer Protection

AI data centers require unprecedented amounts of power. That demand has triggered intense concern in Congress that they have driven up utility bills for everyday consumers. The Power and Water for Families Act (H.R. 9419) aims to force large-load facilities to pay for their own grid upgrades. Major hyperscalers have signed the White House's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, but are voluntary commitments enough? Beyond consumers, Congress must decide how to modernize the grid itself, including incentives for off-grid power, nuclear energy from small modular reactors.

Panel 4: Federal Preemption vs. State AI Patchworks

With Congress slow to pass comprehensive technology laws, states have stepped in. California, Colorado and Illinois have enacted aggressive AI regulations, creating a complex operating environment for interstate telecom networks and platforms. Hence the debate over federal preemption: Should Congress should set a single national framework to reduce compliance burdens?

MERGERS

Judge Blocks Cable One-MBI Deal After Lender Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 – A federal judge has temporarily blocked Cable One’s acquisition of Mega Broadband Investments, owner of regional internet service provider Vyve Broadband.

CoBank ACB, one of Cable One’s lenders, had sued earlier Friday to stop the transaction, which was set to close the same day. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken said in an order hours later he agreed there was enough cause to pause the deal.

SpaceX Acquiring Grain Spectrum to Support Mobile Ambitions

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 – SpaceX is set to acquire some low-band wireless spectrum, a bid to help its nascent mobile mobile service with indoor connectivity.

The satellite operator reached a deal to acquire Grain Management’s 800 MegaHertz (MHz) licenses, the companies announced Thursday evening.

Amazon Leo Aiming to Sway Consumers From Starlink With Prime, Other Bundles

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 – Amazon Leo is aiming to compete with SpaceX’s satellite broadband service by bundling its plans with other Amazon services.

Amazon currently has almost 400 satellites in orbit to support its Amazon Leo home broadband service. Executives told Ars the company is aiming to launch initial service later this year.

USF Working Group ‘Getting Closer and Closer’ to Discussion Draft

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 – Lawmakers are making progress on draft legislation to update an $8 billion-per-year telecom subsidy, a Congressional aide said Friday.

A bipartisan working group with members from both chambers of Congress has been working for years to update the Universal Service Fund, which is supported by fees on a shrinking pool of voice revenue.

BROADBANDLIVE

Broadband Breakfast on October 21, 2026: Best and Worst States for Broadband in 2026

Where does broadband work best in America in 2026? And where does it still fall short? Cities and states across the country continue to see major differences in broadband speed, coverage, affordability and competition. This BroadbandLive will examine what is driving those differences, what the strongest markets are doing differently, and where there is still room for improvement.

ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS

Three Former FCC Commissioners Advocate to Continue E-Rate Program

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 – Three former commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission have passionately affirmed the necessity of $2.4 billion E-Rate program. 

At the annual AnchorNets 2026 conference, hosted by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, former commissioners attested to the importance E-Rate has for schools, children, and rural communities.

New Mexico Rapidly Accelerates Broadband Access

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 — New Mexico has sharply expanded broadband access, according to a new state report.

“Nearly 91% of New Mexico now has access to high‑speed internet, and more than 120,000 more homes and business have been connected since 2022,” the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion wrote in its annual Data Collection Report to the Legislature, released Oct. 1. The report said 94% of the state will have broadband access by the end of 2026.

Sen. Cantwell Unveils Six-Point Plan to Govern Frontier AI

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026 - A leading Senate Democrat is calling for strict artificial intelligence control to protect the public from preventable harms.

BROADBANDLIVE

Broadband Breakfast on October 28, 2026 – Earnings Reports

Broadband Breakfast Live Online examines what the latest financial results from major public communications companies reveal about the state of broadband deployment, subscriber growth and investment trends in the private sector. As providers report their Third Quarter results from 2026, industry analysts and observers will unpack the data behind capital expenditure decisions, fiber buildout progress and the competitive dynamics shaping the broadband marketplace. We’ll also walk Breakfast Club Members through the Premium Charts and Data compiled from earnings calls. Join us for an expert-driven conversation on what this quarter's earnings mean for the future of connectivity in America.

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UNIVERSAL SERVICE

Ending E-Rate Would Reduce U.S. Real GDP by $4.2 Billion, Says Advocate

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 – Sunsetting a broadband subsidy for schools and libraries would hurt the U.S economy, according to a new study commissioned by the program’s participants.

Axing the E-Rate program entirely would reduce the country’s real gross domestic product by $4.2 billion, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition study said. 

USF Reform Could Put Hyperscalers, Data Centers on the Hook

AI companies could help reshape how broadband subsidies are funded.

FCC Proposes More Than $10 Million in Lifeline Fines

The proposed penalties come as the FCC scrutinizes subscriber eligibility

In Silicon Valley, AI founders Cheer Trump AI Self-Regulation

At Tech Week in San Francisco, venture capitalists and AI founders have been ebullient about the White House's hands-off approach to AI regulation

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BEAD Projects Likely to Generate Millions of 811 Tickets, Researchers Say

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 – A flood of fiber projects funded by a federal broadband grant program could increase the likelihood of damaged buried utilities, researchers said Thursday.

BEAD

Louisiana Breaks Ground on Largest BEAD-Funded Fiber Build

Louisiana has begun construction on a BEAD-funded fiber project

FCC Considers Allows Political Robocalls Before Midterms, Including AI-Created

The Republican-led FCC advanced the request for public comment and could rule on it as soon as late October

Falmouth Didn’t Build Its Own Network, But a Citizen-Led Effort Still Brought Fiber to Town

At long last, fiber-to-the-home connectivity is coming to Cape Cod.

FCC to Consider New Spectrum Auction, Slate of Other Wireless Initiatives

At its Oct. 29 meeting, the FCC will also consider blocking China-based labs from its equipment certification program

AMERICA250 / TELECOM150

Keynote Remarks by Sen. Deb Fisher at '250 Years of American History, 150 Years of American Telecommunications'

The Program Took Place on Oct. 1, 2026

Watch the Videos

Open Rules and Protocols, Including Section 230, Fuel ‘Permissionless Innovation’

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2026 — Permissionless innovation has driven American communications from the transistor to the smartphone, according to a group of esteemed historians and policymakers speaking Thursday at "250 Years of American Independence and 150 Years of American Telecommunications."

Should Network-Sharing Rules Reach Big Tech?

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2026 — Because of the strong monopolistic tendencies of network effects in communication businesses, one key approach to enhancing competition is to require incumbents to interconnect with rivals.