We write in support of your ongoing focus on internet affordability as you work to administer the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program enacted in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  For years, Democrats and Republicans expressed concern over the digital divide, and the $42 billion investment in the BEAD Program gives us a real opportunity to finally bridge this divide and connect every American to high-speed, reliable, and affordable internet.  As recently as 2021, just before enactment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, research indicated that one quarter of the U.S. population (about 80 million Americans) were on the wrong side of digital opportunity because they lacked a reliable, high-speed internet connection.... We urge you to continue to prioritize affordability in your administration of this bipartisan program and look forward to seeing it connect people in all communities across America to affordable, reliable internet service.

An Internet service provider (ISP) that admitted lying to the Federal Communications Commission about where it offers broadband will pay a $10,000 fine and implement a compliance plan to prevent future violations. Jefferson County Cable (JCC), a small ISP in Toronto (OH) admitted that it falsely claimed to offer fiber service in an area that it hadn't expanded to yet. A company executive also admitted that the firm submitted false coverage data to prevent other ISPs from obtaining government grants to serve the area. The FCC announced the outcome of its investigation on March 15, saying that Jefferson County Cable violated the Broadband Data Collection program requirements and the Broadband DATA Act, a US law, "in connection with reporting inaccurate information or data with respect to the Company's ability to provide broadband Internet access service."

When internet service providers are asked about the impediments they encounter for building new fiber networks, they almost always list pole issues at or near to the top of the list. Why are poles of such big concern? Building aerial fiber means putting the fiber on poles. Most poles are owned by electric utilities, although some belong to telephone companies or municipalities. Invariably, some poles have to be replaced in order to add a new fiber line. This mostly occurs when there is not enough space for the nationally required distance between wires. But often, poles must be replaced because they are obsolete or in bad condition. Regardless of why poles have to be replaced, the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants are going to be used to replace huge numbers of poles. The cost of replacing poles is built into the construction costs of adding new aerial fiber. Since BEAD will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of fiber construction, that means BEAD will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of replacing poles. That is a huge windfall for electric utilities. In far too many cases, the poles that will replaced by BEAD should have already been upgraded and replaced by the pole owners.

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, overall, 54 percent of Americans say artificial intelligence programs that generate text and images, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, need to credit the sources they rely on to produce their responses. A much smaller share (14%) says the programs don’t need to credit sources. Generative AI programs work by reviewing large amounts of information, such as the works of an artist or news organization. That allows them to generate responses when users ask questions. This process has spurred lawsuits from authors, artists and news organizations, who argue that this is an unauthorized use of copyrighted material. But some technology companies argue that this is fair use under copyright law and that the programs provide a clear public benefit. Pew's survey finds that the public consistently says AI programs should credit sources across seven examples of content they could generate.