Research

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public event for creative professionals entitled, “Creative Economy and Generative AI.” The purpose of this report is to summarize the information provided to the FTC in that roundtable. Some of the issues surfaced at the event implicate the FTC’s enforcement and policy authority, though some certainly go beyond or outside the FTC’s jurisdiction. This report begins by briefly summarizing the technological developments in AI and generative AI that make this roundtable and report timely. Next, it explains the FTC’s jurisdictional interest in AI.

Earlier this month, we released an updated version of the Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool, with data current through October 2023, the most recent dataset the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has posted on ACP enrollment. The downloadable USAC dataset shows that 21.6 million households had enrolled in the program through October 2023.

In October, the Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Kansas City convened the first-ever Digital Inclusion Research Forum (DIRF), bringing together researchers and practitioners to highlight the latest in digital inclusion research, emerging methodologies, and best practices in the sector. In order to access the broadband funding made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), all states have to develop plans for how they will use these funds to build broadband networks and achieve digital equity.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (Office) announced the 2024 reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed voice and broadband services for eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that are subject to broadband public interest obligations.

The Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) released the state's draft Digital Equity Plan for public comment.

In 2023, fiber broadband hit all new records, with 9 million newly passed U.S. homes added by network operators in 2023, with 6 million of those newly passed homes that previously did not have fiber, according to the latest annual research conducted by RVA Market Research & Consulting for the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA). “Cumulatively we’re now at about 78 million homes passed, including second and third passings,” said Michael Render, CEO and Principal Analyst, RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting. “We’re about 69 million unique homes passed. We’re now passing 51.5% of U.S.

Public libraries are an invaluable institution in the United States, and the digital revolution has posed many challenges for them. With the American Library Association’s updated “Library Bill of Rights” and public library services increasingly moving online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the protection of patron privacy in public libraries is an important and timely topic of study.

Baltimore's Office of Broadband and Digital Equity (BDE) established four overarching goals to advance the principles of digital equity and inclusion. Mapping, data, and analysis described in this plan guide these goals. In addition, BDE relied on the critical input of residents’ voices and experiences.  

An extraordinary, first-ever, nationwide effort in digital equity and opportunity is currently underway. Thanks to funding provided under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), all 50 states and six territories are in the final stages of developing first-of-their-kind statewide digital equity and digital opportunity plans (Plans). Only a year ago, not a single state or territory had developed a comprehensive statewide Plan of this scale focused on the full spectrum of internet adoption issues.

The Biden Administration has big plans to tackle one of the AI boom's sharpest controversies—whether op