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

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10, 2026 (AP) — Tech Week is in full bloom in San Francisco, packing the city’s restaurants this week with venture capitalists and AI founders ebullient about the White House’s stance on regulating artificial intelligence — namely, don’t do it. And after months of debate about leading AI companies’ unchecked AI agents meddling with everything from U.S. government websites to healthcare data, the nation now finds itself further from governing AI systems than it was a few years ago. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! President **Donald Trump** brought tech titans to Washington late last month for a luncheon and ceremonial signing of a voluntary safety pact he described as “almost a constitution” surrounding “Super Intelligence,” the administration’s new preferred term for AI. The 308-word agreement lays out that advanced AI labs should follow safety protocols and set up internal teams to monitor their own progress, but the administration has yet to provide details on how, in OpenAI CEO **Sam Altman's** words, to keep “bad things” from happening. Safety challenges were not top of mind inside a crowded event space in San Francisco on Wednesday, where founders and funders said the government’s hands-off approach would net higher profits for companies building AI-powered defense and security systems. Panelists praised the government’s bullish industry support at one meeting aimed at “investing in the forefront,” part of the blitz of popup events organized by Andreessen Horowitz, a venture firm whose head is a Trump science and tech adviser. “I want to start with one figure that I think really emphasizes the investment opportunity of defense, and that’s $1 trillion. The U.S. government, for the first time, is allocating $1 trillion to its defense spending. And $13.5 billion of that will go to autonomous systems and AI,” said **Kyle Stanford** , a venture capital research director at PitchBook, a market intelligence platform. “That has obviously brought a lot of capital into defense tech spending, more than we’ve ever seen.” ### _New concerns emerge on AI safety_ A day later, three researchers at OpenAI's headquarters said the ChatGPT maker had fired them, posting that “fear and unclear rules stymie AI safety work.” Separately, **David Robinson** , a leader on OpenAI’s safety team until he recently resigned, said he was worried about letting the advanced labs police themselves. “This is no substitute for hard law, and it does give a lot of freedom to the companies,” Robinson said. “The time between model generations is measured in weeks … and I think we have some very serious safety challenges in front of us in the nearer term.” Trump has staked his political capital on the AI industry’s success, saying its unbridled development is key to winning the AI race against China. On the first day of his second term, the Republican president repealed a Biden-era executive order aimed in part at guarding against the risks that AI systems pose to consumers, workers and national security. His administration has since reoriented federal policy away from oversight and toward rapid growth, including by canceling previous requirements for AI developers to share safety test results with the federal government. In December, Trump signed an executive order aimed at blocking AI regulations at the state level, saying a patchwork of rules could stifle the industry. Even as Silicon Valley companies have disclosed their models’ involvement in troubling cyberattacks throughout the year, the burgeoning tech sector has continued to drive economic growth. Concerns about AI safety centered on existential risk, rather than current real-world harms, landed at the center of debates last month, when a relatively unknown Anthropic engineer quit and called for a pause on tech development to keep “superhuman” systems from eluding controls. Then, Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs echoed the call to slow AI development. To some critics, their public manifestos appeared aimed at currying favor with investors ahead of their public listings and the midterm elections, when the political tides could turn with many voters opposed to data centers. “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump posted in response on Truth Social, warning voters not to “kill the Golden Goose,” a term he has used to refer to both AI and data centers. ### _White House pact preserves wide latitude for AI companies_ As calls mounted for stricter control of AI, the administration brought tech executives to the White House for lunch, followed by a ceremonial signing of the agreement on AI safety. “I'm seeing tremendous self-policing,” Trump told reporters after the event. The document was signed by representatives of OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, SpaceXAI and Nvidia. OpenAI is committed to embedding external assessors and finalizing contracts with third-party safety assessors, said a spokesperson, who referred AP to a company post stating that the researchers were fired for violating “clear policies on handling sensitive information.” Google referred to CEO **Sundar Pichai's** post that the company does appropriate testing and evaluations and is collaborating “to establish norms and build public confidence.” Meta recently updated its standards for training, evaluating and releasing its most capable AI models, and spokesman Andy Stone pointed to the company's efforts to refine its board of directors’ governance structure. Nvidia and SpaceXAI did not respond to requests for comment. Anthropic, which voluntarily disclosed Friday that its agents had meddled with U.S. government websites, is bringing in independent evaluators and discussing collaborations with industry groups, a spokesperson said. In a statement, the White House reiterated Trump’s comments about working with industry to balance innovation and security and did not directly answer questions about how the administration plans to monitor the AI companies’ implementation. Following the new Anthropic disclosure, it added that the Trump administration expected full transparency from the company, saying notification and remediation was “not optional. It is a critical national security obligation.” Under Democratic President **Joe Biden** , leading AI companies also made voluntary commitments to promote “safe, secure, and transparent development” of their models that included specific guidelines for tests and transparency reports. The current accord lacks that, said Sarah Myers West, a former senior AI adviser to the Federal Trade Commission. “Across the board, this self-regulatory approach has consistently done one thing, which is failed to work. It’s failed to in any meaningful way ensure that these companies are honestly even keeping their house in order, let alone ensuring that they are compliant with existing law,” said **Myers West** , now co-executive director of the New York-based nonprofit AI Now. “All that they’re getting is grace from this government.” After last month's luncheon with Trump, the FTC said it had opened an investigation into OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies over dangers their technology may pose to consumers. The FTC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump recently appointed National Intelligence Director **Jay Clayton** and FTC Chairman **Andrew Ferguson** to serve on his new “Super Intelligence Force,” which the president said would keep the U.S. dominant in AI development. He posted Thursday that the White House would consider anyone who does not refer to AI using his preferred term as “THE ENEMY!” Members of Congress, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, have pushed for more regulations on AI, saying there is not enough oversight. **Graham Steele** , a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Treasury Department, said even if AI companies set up internal evaluation teams or hire outside evaluators, such a structure can make them vulnerable to undue pressure on their work. “We live in a democratic society. Are they the right ones to have the power to be able to make decisions that have broad, structural, social, and political consequences?” Steele said.

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. “We’re going to take the Amazonian way and have the best value by far,” **Chris Weber** , the company’s vice president of business, said in an interview with Ars Technica. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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FCC Proposes More Than $10 Million in Lifeline Fines

WASHINGTON, October 7, 2026 — The Federal Communications Commission is proposing more than $10 million in fines against two Lifeline providers accused of improperly claiming federal subsidies for duplicate subscribers and committing other violations of the program’s rules. The FCC proposed fines of $2.67 million against AirVoice Wireless and $7.45 million against TAG Mobility, which share common ownership. The Enforcement Bureau’s investigations found that the companies apparently claimed Lifeline support multiple times for the same subscribers, falsely certified reimbursement requests and made false statements, among other alleged violations. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sen. **Maria Cantwell** (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, has released a comprehensive governance framework for “frontier” artificial intelligence systems, calling for enforceable federal safety standards, continuous independent testing and strict accountability for developers. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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Earthquake in the Sky – SpaceX Pays $8 Billion for Grain Management Airwaves to Advance Starlink Mobile

💡 ■ Amazon Leo to Launch Service in 2026, Company Exec Says ■ Cable One Close to Receiving $1.25 Billion Lifeline from Lenders ■ Update: American Airlines to Add Starlink to Its Entire Mainline Fleet ■ NFL Points to ‘Objectionable Bets’ in Seeking State Regulation of Kalshi, Polymarket ■ NCTA CEO Concerned U.S. Might Forfeit Its Wi-Fi Leadership to China ■ D.C. Circuit Wants to Hear from FCC about MAD’s Fox 29 Petition ■ West Virginia Plans to Apply to Host the U.S. Space Academy ■ SHLB: Zeroing Out E-Rate Would Cost the Economy $4.2 Billion ■ Ryan Baasch Leaves Trump White House to Join Polymarket ■ Chris Rouser Hired to Take Italia Commisso’s HR Post at Mediacom **Space Mobile: Grain Management** says it has a definitive agreement under which **SpaceX** will acquire all of Grain's 800 MHz spectrum portfolio involving 14MHz of paired nationwide spectrum. Elon Musk’s company is paying about **$8 billion in cash** for the airwaves, the _Wall Street Journal_ said, citing “people familiar with the matter.” The agreement includes key low-band spectrum to support next-generation satellite direct-to-device services, enabling **Starlink Mobile** to reach customers from both the ground and space. In an X post, SpaceX said the Grain agreement with “will pave the way for Starlink to become a major mobile carrier in the U.S.” In extended-hours trading, Wall Street traders dumped **AT &T, T-Mobile** and **Verizon** shares by about 6% each on the Grain transaction news despite repeated claims by mobile incumbents that Starlink Mobile does not have a viable strategy financially or scientifically. “With this new spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can ensure Americans have access to high-speed mobile broadband no matter where they are,” SpaceX said. **Musk** said on X, “This is the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America.” In another post, he said: “Very big deal.” **_(More after paywall)_** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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From New Deal's Electrification Loans to a Rural Broadband Dispute

_This article summarizes several of the key points in_ Lesson 7: The New Deal and Rural Electrification_, which is part of Broadband Breakfast's online course, "_ 150 Years of American Telecommunications_." A new lesson will be released every Monday._ About nine in 10 American farms lacked electric service in 1930, while nearly nine in 10 homes outside farms were wired. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! The obstacle was the cost of extending power lines into sparsely populated areas. Private utilities estimated construction costs at as much as $2,000 a mile (or more than $30,000 in 2020 dollars). With few customers along each mile, most utility companies doubted that electricity sales would recover the investment. ### _Washington lent the money, and the borrowers were new_ Rural electrification became part of President **Franklin D. Roosevelt’s** New Deal, the federal response to the Great Depression. His administration offered construction loans to bring electricity to farms private utilities had largely passed over. An executive order created the Rural Electrification Administration, a federal agency financing rural power projects, on May 11, 1935. Congress had set aside $100 million for rural electrification. A year later, the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 established the agency in law and set its lending terms. Construction loans had to be “self-liquidating,” meaning revenue from electricity sales had to repay the loans within 25 years. Borrowers paid the federal government’s average interest rate on its long-term debt, generally below what private lenders charged. The 1936 law gave preference to public bodies, cooperatives, nonprofits and associations that limited dividends to investors. Most private utilities declined to borrow from the Rural Electrification Administration. The loan offers limited how utilities used the money, and the companies could not agree with the agency on those terms, **Carl Kitchens** , an economic historian at Florida State University, told the Richmond Fed. The electrification agency turned to cooperatives, nonprofit utilities owned by the customers they serve. Only 33 electric cooperatives operated in the country in 1930. A farm family would generally pay $5 to join one of the new cooperatives, becoming both a customer and an owner. In 1942, the cooperatives formed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a trade group representing electric cooperatives in Washington. With help from the electrification agency’s engineers, average power-line construction costs fell below $825 a mile by the end of the 1930s. Fewer than 1 percent of the agency’s loans defaulted, according to the Richmond Fed’s history. By 1954, 93 percent of American farms reported electricity, according to the Census of Agriculture, the federal survey of farms. **_(Read the full Lesson 7 for the other two ownership models Washington considered and why it chose cooperatives.)_** Lesson 7: The New Deal and Rural ElectrificationPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration by executive order on May 11, 1935. Congress made the agency permanent in 1936Broadband BreakfastBroadband Breakfast Sign up for Free and Join Section A of the course! Sign up for Free! ### ### _Public ownership was a threat held in reserve_ The idea of using public ownership to restrain private utility monopolies preceded the lending program. Roosevelt made that case as the Democratic presidential nominee in a Sept. 21, 1932, campaign speech in Portland, Oregon. He cited **Matthew Hale** , a 17th-century English judge, and the requirement that a monopoly ferry operator “take but reasonable toll.” State utility commissions should ensure adequate electric service and reasonable rates, Roosevelt argued. He rejected government ownership of all utilities, favoring private operation as the general rule. Government ownership was the remedy when regulation failed, in FDR’s view. He compared a community’s right to build and operate its own utility to a “birch rod” kept in a cupboard until a scolding no longer worked. The prospect of a competing public utility, he argued, would encourage private electric companies to improve service and lower rates. The rural lending program backed a different owner: the customers themselves. Most cooperatives bought electricity wholesale from private utilities and distributed the power to cooperative customers. When a cooperative could not agree with a private supplier on price and other terms, the electrification agency stood ready to finance a power plant owned by the cooperative. Federal lending “created competition over territory that hadn’t been claimed yet,” Kitchens told the Richmond Fed. ### _The cooperatives now own the poles_ Congress extended the Rural Electrification Act to communications in 1949, authorizing loans for rural telephone service. About 890 electric cooperatives operate today, still owned by electricity customers. Cooperative-owned poles support communications cables as well as electric lines, making the utilities important to rural broadband construction. Control of those poles has brought cooperatives into a dispute over the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, or BEAD, the $42.45 billion federal broadband construction fund. Federal law has excluded cooperatives from the Federal Communications Commission’s pole attachment rules since 1978. The FCC rules govern what pole owners charge communications providers to hang cables and how quickly pole owners must provide access. In January 2026, the Commerce Department made compliance with FCC pole rules a condition of BEAD grants. Cooperatives that accept them must apply those rules to poles not already covered by state or federal attachment regulation. The condition covers a cooperative’s poles throughout the state receiving BEAD funds, beyond the poles used in funded projects, without removing the coops aforementioned statutory exemption. Twenty of the 63 cooperatives awarded BEAD funding had withdrawn, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association told the Commerce Department in a Sept. 16 letter. The association cited the pole requirements and rising equipment costs among the concerns facing cooperatives considering participation. In the 1930s, federal loans helped establish cooperatives to serve farms private utilities had largely passed over. Ninety years later, those cooperatives control the poles that broadband providers need to reach rural customers. Washington is again pressing for access on terms that federal pole law calls “just and reasonable.”

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Louisiana Breaks Ground on Largest BEAD-Funded Fiber Build

WASHINGTON,Oct. 8, 2026 — A new fiber project in Louisiana is making history while bringing faster internet to thousands of residents, giving communities in East Baton Rouge Parish a new broadband option. Louisiana has broken ground on what state officials describe as the country’s largest Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD)-funded broadband project, marking a major step from federal broadband funding to network construction. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program is expected to fund more than 270,000 miles of buried fiber, according to an analysis from New York Law School’s Advanced Connectivity Law and Policy Institute. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is considering a request by a conservative group to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those with artificial intelligence-generated voices, before November’s midterm elections. Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones unless the caller gets consent beforehand. The petition calls for a waiver that would allow political groups to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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USF Reform Could Put Hyperscalers, Data Centers on the Hook

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 – A federal broadband subsidy program under financial duress could get bailed out by AI-related companies, as policymakers consider making major users of broadband infrastructure contribute to universal service. Universal service reform could expand the pool of companies that help finance broadband networks to include hyperscalers, cloud providers and other major users of internet infrastructure, according to former FCC officials and broadband advocates. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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

Gateway Fiber, a Missouri-based Internet service provider already operating in western and central Massachusetts, has announced it has begun network construction in Falmouth and says service will be available to residents and businesses later this year. MassachusettsGet a snapshot view of broadband initiatives in Massachusetts.Broadband BreakfastState Broadband It’s a development that, after decades of frustration with high prices for cable service, will bring residential fiber connectivity to the region for the first time, initiated seven years ago by an effort to build a community-owned solution. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! While the plan is for Gateway to first offer service in Falmouth, the company also has its sights set on expanding its network into other towns on the Cape — including the towns of Barnstable and Yarmouth, the most populous parts of the peninsula. For years, Cape residents have complained about the high-priced, spotty service of the Comcast cable monopoly as their only wireline option. Enter Gateway. It represents a watershed moment for the region, as the ISP looks to tap the pent-up demand for the gold-standard of Internet access technologies (fiber) by first targeting Falmouth, home to about 33,000 residents. “Cape Cod is exactly the kind of market we’re excited about at Gateway Fiber. It has strong local communities, year-round residents, small businesses, seasonal homeowners and visitors who all need Internet they can count on,” said **John Meyer** , Chief Customer Officer of Gateway Fiber. “We believe people on the Cape deserve a better Internet experience that includes 100% fiber, straightforward pricing and service from a team that wants to be part of the communities we serve. We’ve built real momentum across Massachusetts, and we’re excited to bring that same commitment to Cape Cod,” he added. **Courtney Bird** , Chair of the Falmouth Broadband Municipal Light Plant (MLP), also expressed his excitement that long sought-after next-generation Internet service is finally coming to town. “I’m thrilled that Gateway Fiber is coming to Falmouth,” he said. “This milestone reflects a seven-year effort by everyone who worked to bring the community a viable, competitive alternative for 21st-century connectivity. Gateway Fiber will provide that choice, and Falmouth residents and businesses will benefit.” ### _Why Falmouth didn't build its own network_ That effort took a significant step forward in 2022 when Town Meeting voters approved the creation of the town’s Municipal Light Plant (MLP), establishing the legal framework to create a municipal telecommunication utility in the Commonwealth. Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved the MLP, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority needed at two separate Town Meetings. Early organizers of the citizen-led FalmouthNet nonprofit were initially hoping to create a municipal broadband service, whereby the town builds and owns the network and has complete control over pricing and service levels. But, with little interest from the Board of Selectmen to finance what at the time was an estimated $55 million project, MLP officials eventually settled on pursuing a public-private partnership. “The funding was the thing that stuck in everyone's craw,” Bird told ILSR. Also, he said, a feasibility study indicated that the “break-even point was projected to be five years and would need a 45 percent take rate. The town took no interest in funding it, even though surveys showed plenty of appetite.” And while the MLP did court and meet with several private ISPs — including GoNetSpeed, Ripple and Gateway — the result, Bird said, wasn’t a typical public-private partnership. “Public private partnership implies there will be a financial contribution by both parties, which isn’t the case here. The Town is putting up no money, just expediting the permitting process and being generally supportive of (Gateway’s) efforts,” he said. Still, Bird considered the efforts of FalmouthNet and the MLP to be a net positive for Falmouth. Based on what Gateway shared with the MLP at previous MLP meetings, most addresses in town will get fiber access, though “there will be parts of Falmouth that don’t get it. They mentioned covering something like 80 to 85 percent of the town and did say they didn’t plan to build in certain neighborhoods.” ISPs often selectively deploy high-speed Internet infrastructure, which industry-insiders refer to as “cherry-picking” or “digital redlining,” depending on their business model. That contrasts with municipal broadband systems that almost always build out network connections across the entire municipality as publicly-owned networks have different incentives in providing broadband, treating the service as a utility rather than as a pure profit-seeking venture. Ultimately, however, “I think Gateway will be a good fit for Falmouth,” Bird said, adding that there is a planned ribbon-cutting ceremony for network construction on October 27. ### _OpenCape: The (fiber) bridge to next-gen internet access_ A major reason why Gateway Fiber is able to be a “good fit” is because of OpenCape’s middle mile fiber network. Much like the Sagamore and Bourne bridges serve as the gateway to Cape Cod for vehicle traffic, the nonprofit fiber network is the bridge that Gateway Fiber will use for backhaul. “OpenCape has laid an important foundation for connectivity across Cape Cod, and we’re excited to build on that investment,” Gateway Fiber CEO **Chris Surdo** said about OpenCape’s network, which spans more than 500 route miles across Cape Cod, southeastern Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, with direct Tier 1 connections into Boston and Providence. OpenCape CEO **Pete Saldino** tells ILSR that OpenCape is excited to work with Gateway Fiber, especially because when OpenCape was founded in 2007 thanks to a federal BTOP grant, the hope for many at that time was that it would eventually lead to residential fiber service across OpenCape’s service footprint. Saldino noted how OpenCape was built as an open-access network for the region, in part to eventually foster choice and competition by reducing the cost of building out last-mile fiber networks. Over the years, the network has been the primary backhaul for cellular service providers in the area, as well as the go-to fiber provider for many of the region’s small businesses, municipalities, and large anchor institutions such as the marine biology research labs in Woods Hole and the Cape Cod Healthcare system. Now, Saldino said, he is excited to see “Gateway Fiber bringing real momentum and investment to Cape Cod, and we're thrilled that our state-of-the-art fiber optic network is helping bring faster connections to homeowners across the region.” ### _Competition is already paying off_ In Falmouth, Bird said Gateway’s entry into the market has already had a positive impact for residents. “Comcast has upgraded their services and I can speak to this first hand. I was paying $120 a month for gig service and now they are offering it for $50 a month for new customers,” he said. “So I went into the Xfinity store in Falmouth and complained about it and they upgraded me to 2 gigs for $95 a month and gave me the modem at no charge.” “In my view," Bird said, "this is a perfect example of the consumer benefiting from competition. When Comcast was the only show in town, you paid whatever rate they charged and had to rent the modem, and that was it.” But, given the fact that Comcast is working to upgrade their service in town due to the competitive pressure from Gateway, Bird thinks Gateway will still have to work hard to lure subscribers away from Comcast. “It’s a challenge for any new provider to get people to switch. As for me, if fiber comes down my street — bye bye Comcast.” Pricing and service tiers for Falmouth have not yet been announced. But, in other areas where Gateway operates, the company offers a symmetrical 600 Megabits per second (Mbps) connection for $65/month; gig speed service for $75/month; a 2 gig package for $90/month; and a 5 gig tier for $125/month. As for the future of the town's MLP board, Bird said now that Gateway is coming to town “our role will be a liaison and coordinator for the construction while it’s going on. But once Gateway completes it, I would not envision a role for us.” Meanwhile, Falmouth residents and businesses can visit gatewayfiber.com/pre-order to pre-order service, receive construction updates, and find out when fiber service will be available at their address. **_Disclosure: Sean Gonsalves serves as a board member of OpenCape and was a former advisory board member of FalmouthNet._** **_This article comes from the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, was published on_** CommunityNetworks.org on October 6, 2026**_, and is reprinted with permission._**

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BEAD Deployments to Flood 811 System Designed to Shield Buried Gas Lines from Damage: ACLP Study

💡 ■ FCC to Auction 25 Megahertz for Direct-to-Device Service ■ Free State’s Andrew Long Calls for Broadband Funding Pause to Learn from BEAD Roll Out Data ■ NFL to Supreme Court: Let States Regulate Prediction Markets Like Kalshi ■ FCC Fines AirVoice Wireless Parent $10 million for Lifeline Fraud ■ Group Seeks Exemption from ‘Military‑Grade’ Classifying for Drone Light Show Equipment ■ As Planned, Cedar Falls Utilities Shutting Down Cable TV on Oct. 11 ■ KeyBanc Says ‘Satellite Broadband’ (Meaning Starlink) Leads Industry in Customer Satisfaction ■ Sen. Cantwell Outlines Six‑Part Framework for Governing Artificial Intelligence ■ Breezeline Earns Opensignal USA Awards in Key Ohio Markets ■ Oklahoma Broadband Office Notes Completion of Broadband Projects by Indian Electric Cooperative ■ Turkey Planning 198-LEO Constellation to Rival Banned Starlink BEAD: A new study warns that BEAD‑funded broadband construction will place heavy new demands on the nation’s 811 utility‑locate system. “BEAD projects will deploy 271,782 miles of buried fiber, 57.5% of all BEAD fiber miles,” analysts **Alex Karras** and **Michael Santorelli** of the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute wrote in the report set for release on Oct. 8. They said the buried routes will generate about 1.4 million 811 tickets, triggering roughly 8.1 million facility‑locates, most of them for service drops. “With about 58% of the fiber to be deployed via BEAD needing to be buried, it will be critical for those excavating the ground to install fiber lines to be able to move swiftly and safely through the locates process,” the ACLP analysts said. ** _(More after paywall)_** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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A $50 Billion Health Fund and Rural America’s Internet Gaps

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2026 — Awards from a $50 billion federal rural health fund included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act from July 2025 are now paying for digital health care records and home monitoring devices, said panelists at a Broadband Breakfast Live Online session Wednesday. But whether that remote care reaches a patient still depends on the connection in the patient's home or pocket. Maine's first-year share of that fund is $190 million, according to **Andrew Solomon** , a senior program manager at MCD Global Health, the Maine public health nonprofit administering the work. About $40 million of those funds will upgrade digital patient records at roughly 80 health care organizations, and another $12 million goes to about a dozen telehealth projects. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! One such project sends patients with high blood pressure or heart failure home with internet-connected cuffs and scales that alert a nurse when readings turn dangerous. Those nurse alerts travel only over a working internet connection, a recurring them at the session, on connectivity and medicine. ### _First-year rural health money is still moving_ That $50 billion fund is the Rural Health Transformation Program, created by Section 71401 of the 2025 budget law. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal health insurance agency, distributes $10 billion a year from fiscal 2026 through 2030. All 50 states won first-year awards in December 2025, averaging $200 million. Those awards ranged from about $147 million for New Jersey to about $281 million for Texas. After the December awards, states needed federal approval of their spending plans before the money could flow, said **Reid Plimpton** , a program manager at MCD Global Health. Much of the program's first-year funding has not fully gone out, Plimpton said, even as the second year begins. States must obligate, or legally commit, first-year funds by Oct. 30, according to a timeline from KFF, a health policy research group. ### _Maine is using the money to change how care is delivered_ Some of Maine's record upgrades add ambient scribing, AI software that listens to an appointment and drafts the clinician's notes, Solomon said. Ambient scribing cuts what he called "pajama time," the evening hours doctors spend finishing charts at home. Off the coast, 12 year-round island communities have no bridge to the mainland and no health care of their own. The Maine Seacoast Mission, a nonprofit serving those islands, sends a boat called the Sunbeam to them. The boat provides year-round medical care and telehealth services to the state’s unbridged outer islands. Solomon described the boat as "essentially a floating community center." With federal funding, MCD built telehealth backpacks that island residents reserve online and pick up at a town hall or school. Each backpack holds connected tools such as a blood pressure cuff and a pulse oximeter. Patients can use the kits at home only if they have a connection, Solomon said. ### _For many patients, the connection is a cell phone_ Many lower-income rural residents rely on a cell phone as their only internet service, said **Robbie Blish** , director of public safety connectivity initiatives at AMBCOPS, a Vermont nonprofit focused on rural mobile coverage. For phone-only patients, the cell network is their only link to remote care. Residents can log speed tests and dead spots with a free AMBCOPS app called YOWIE Patrol. "We have to know what your baseline is in terms of connectivity before you can really start to build on these other infrastructure ideas," said Blish, also a retired police chief. Telemedicine appointments are also more likely to be kept. Rural in-person appointments carry a no-show rate of about 20 percent, compared with about 2 percent for telemedicine, Blish said, citing a Vermont project that tested libraries as telehealth sites. ### _Libraries can bridge gaps, but one panelist rejected them as the end state_ Public libraries and YMCAs can host private telehealth visits while home service catches up, said Plimpton, who also works with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center, one of 12 federally funded regional centers that advise health care providers on telehealth. He called libraries and YMCAs "a happy medium as we wait for the fiber." Libraries and YMCAs are no substitute for home service, said **Arshia Khan** , a professor and director of graduate studies in computer science at the University of Minnesota Duluth. "Medicine should be proactive rather than being reactive," she said. Rural patients often lack nearby specialists, Khan said, so that care has to arrive remotely. Teleradiology, in which a distant radiologist reads scans, and telestroke programs, which link rural emergency rooms to stroke specialists, both depend on connectivity. Her research pairs humanoid robots for dementia care with wearable sensors, and those sensors help only if their data arrives in real time. "We should be able to bring broadband to every individual in every part of America," Khan said. ### _Licensure and AI rules are still catching up_ State licensure law follows the patient. A clinician treating someone in another state must meet the rules where that patient is located, Plimpton said. Roughly 16 interstate compacts, agreements that let a license from one state count in others, now cover different professions. Artificial intelligence is reaching rural clinics through tools such as ambient scribing. Khan warned that AI tools can carry bias and expose private patient data, and she called for rules on how health systems use AI. "We need guardrails around this," she said. Patient health information held by providers and insurers is protected by HIPAA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. AI raises "real HIPAA concerns," Khan said, and health systems need "some real policies" to navigate them. Because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services controls funding and billing rules, the agency can steer AI adoption in health care better than any private company, Khan said. The deeper problem, Solomon said, is that the health care system itself predates these digital tools. "So much of health care is designed and was built to be in person," he said, "and it hasn't been redesigned yet."

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

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote this month on multiple proposals that would open up more spectrum for direct-to-device satellite service. One would seek comment on an auction of 25 megahertz of spectrum from 1675-1695 and 2020-2025 MHz. Companies would be able to use those airwaves for terrestrial 5G, direct-to-device service, or both, the agency said in a release. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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McDonald's Sued Over AI Tool That Recommends Prices to U.S. Franchisees

Oct. 7, 2026 (AP) – McDonald’s is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates antitrust laws because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market. The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Illinois, said McDonald’s pricing tool uses artificial intelligence to collect data that competing franchises wouldn’t normally share, like store-level sales. The Chicago-based burger giant has said it makes the tool available to U.S. franchisees to help them set prices at their individual restaurants. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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NTIA Still Finalizing Eligible Locations for New BEAD Round

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2026 – States have yet to receive lists of locations that will be eligible for an additional round of broadband grant funding. “We may not see it until sometime in November, perhaps,” said **Glen Howie** , head of Arkansas’ broadband office. “I think they’re waiting on the June data to take another look at their lists and see what that looks like.” Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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USTelecom Nominates Ziply’s Jessica Epley to USAC Board

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2026 - USTelecom has nominated **Jessica Epley** , Vice President of Regulatory and External Affairs at Ziply Fiber, to serve as the Universal Service Administrative Company’s Board Representative for interexchange carriers with annual operating revenues of $3 billion or less. In its nomination letter, USTelecom - The Broadband Association puts forward Epley to fill the seat currently held by **Brian Dalhover** of Zayo Group, whose term expires at the end of 2026. The position represents smaller interexchange carriers in USAC’s governance of the $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund, which administers the E-Rate, Lifeline, High Cost and Rural Health Care programs. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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FCC Approves SpaceX Request for 15,000 Direct-to-Device Satellites

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2026 – Federal regulators cleared Tuesday SpaceX’s plan to launch 15,000 satellites for its direct-to-device service. The company would have until Oct. 7, 2032, to have half of the constellation up and running, the Federal Communications Commission said in its order. The company has said it's planning to begin launches late next year. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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Starlink Not a Threat to Big Cable – For Now, New Street Research Says

💡 ■ SpaceX Gains FCC Approval for 15,000 Starlink Mobile Satellites ■ Google, Constellation Energy in 20‑Year Nuclear power Deal ■ Texas Seeks FCC Approval to Verify Lifeline Participants ■ AT&T to Fold Newly Acquired Lumen Assets Into Gigapower ■ Silicondust Wants ATSC 3.0 DRM Disabled for Nov 17 EAS Test ■ Shentel Extends FTTH Service to 1,000 Locations in Rural Virginia ■ ABC, FCC Lawyers Battle in Court as Judge Asks for New Submissions ■ TPI President Scott Wallsten Release Study on Impact of Broadband Subsidies ■ New Mexico: 94% Will Have Broadband by the End of the Year ■ Rocco’s Sister, Italia Commisso Weinand, to Retire as Top Mediacom Official ■ GFiber Rolls with Alianza One as Cloud Communications Platform NSR: Starlink’s impact on big cable broadband ISPs like Charter and Comcast remains limited, New Street Research said Tuesday, but analysts warned that could change as the satellite provider expands. “We haven’t seen much evidence of this so far, but it doesn’t mean it’s never coming,” NSR analysts **David Barden, Vikash Harlalka** and **Ryan Smyth** wrote based on a data-sharing arrangement with Recon Analytics. The NSR teams said Starlink now has about 4 million U.S. customers and could reach 12 million by 2030, noting that nearly half of its new subscribers come from small rural providers or households new to broadband. “On the flip side, close to 50% of Starlink’s disconnects went to cable,” they wrote. ** _(More after paywall)_** ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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After Competitive Summer, Broadband Prices Ticking Up: MoffettNathanson

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2026 – After a fiercely competitive summer, home broadband prices are starting to tick up again, according to an analysis from MoffettNathanson. “To be sure, the recent increases come in the context of a longer trend of falling broadband prices, so it is premature, in our view, to declare a durable reversal,” MoffettNathanson co-founder **Craig Moffett** wrote Tuesday. “There is always the chance that some of the more recent increases are simply ‘normalization’ after a furious end-of-quarter push to score net adds.” Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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Wicker: Data Centers Can Boost Economy Without Raising Utility Bills

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2026 – Data centers can fuel the nation’s artificial intelligence industry without forcing ordinary utility customers to pay for the infrastructure needed to power them, Sen.**Roger Wicker** , R-Miss., said. Wicker, in an Oct. 5 Op-ed, pointed to Mississippi as an example of how data center companies, utilities and state officials can work together to expand computing capacity while limiting costs for households and businesses. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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RFK Jr.'s Embrace of AI Confounds Some Trump Allies

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has built a national following by channeling the energy of Americans who are worried about the influence of corporations, including makers of vaccines, drugs, processed foodsand pesticides. But last week the leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement threw his support behind an unlikely industry: artificial intelligence. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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Starlink Still Rural For Now: New Street Research

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2026 – SpaceX’s satellite broadband service is still aimed at mostly rural areas, according to a Tuesday report from New Street Research. In another analysis, the firm estimated SpaceX’s Starlink service could have the capacity to serve nearly 18 percent of U.S. households. Sign up for Broadband and AI in the Next Congress on Dec 1! Early Bird Registration Until Oct. 16! ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

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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. ## Sign up for FREE for 'Best and Worst States for Broadband in 2026' Once you log in, click this link to watch the BroadbandLive program Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Better Broadband, Better Lives ### _Panelists_ * _Panelists have been invited_ * **Drew Clark** (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast ## _How to Log in_ CHAT.BroadbandBreakfast.com * Look for the email from Broadband Breakfast with the subject line, “Sign in to Broadband Breakfast.” Click the orange button that says, “Sign in now.” * OR - Go to https://broadbandbreakfast.com and click on “Sign in” in the upper right hand corner. Type in your email address. You will get an email from Broadband Breakfast with the subject line, “Secure sign in link for Broadband Breakfast.” Click the orange button that says “Sign in to Broadband Breakfast.” * Once you click that link _for the first time_ , you will get another email from Broadband Breakfast that reads, “Your temporary login code is XXXXXX” * Use that two-factor authentication to activate your account on https://chat.broadbandbreakfast.com * Navigate to the “Community” in the upper left-hand spot of the top navigation bar. * You will see the event in the “BroadbandLive Events” space, at https://chat.broadbandbreakfast.com/c/broadbandlive-events/

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