The United States White House issued a memorandum providing further direction on appropriately harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) models and AI-enabled technologies in the United States Government, especially in the context of national security systems (NSS), while protecting human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, and safety in AI-enabled national security activities.
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, New Hampshire will receive $196.5 million and will be given the opportunity to finally close the digital divide for the entire state, finishing the task undertaken with previous state and federal programs. BEAD will bring unparalleled investment in broadband infrastructure over the next five years and has tasked the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) Office of Broadband with bringing affordable broadband to all New Hampshire residents.
Inflation has returned to the historical average of around 2.5% per year, but we’ve experienced several years in a row of much higher-than-average inflation. In times of inflation and rising prices, consumers and businesses normally cut back on expenditures. Most of us have good reasons for not wanting to lose broadband. At the end of 2023, over 12% of U.S. employees worked remotely. A huge percentage of homes use broadband for entertainment to stream video and music. 70% of American adults use social media. Three out of four Americans plan games online. Most households now bank online.
Jefferson County (OH) is receiving $2.5 million in an Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant to go toward expanding broadband services. The services will be targeted to the underserved areas of the northern part of the county, including the townships of Knox, Ross, Salem, Springfield, Island Creek, and Wayne. "A group of about 750 addresses that have been identified -- the bulk of them are households,” Brooke Hancock Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission Executive Director Mike Paprocki said.
Fueled by substantial private investment and innovation, widespread wired and wireless networks keep us connected in the home and on the go. A competitive mix of fast and affordable broadband networks available nationwide underscores how the dynamic marketplace is fueling today’s global digital economy. Since 1996, over $2.2 trillion in funding has been invested in broadband networks. Over $94.7 billion were invested in 2023; last year saw the highest industry capex in 22 years, more than 23 percent above the historic annual average.
Less than two weeks out from Election Day, a new poll from the App Association and fielded by Embold Research, shows likely voters across the United States strongly support Congress passing a national data privacy law and are concerned about the impact and repercussions of the government’s aggressive antitrust approach and current lawsuits against technology companies. Top findings from the survey include:
Dealing with customer service should be easy. But all too often consumers of communications services cannot get help without navigating a complex maze of chatbots and other automated tools, experiencing delays that leave them exhausted and no closer to resolving their problem. Consumers can even be deterred from or delay switching services, which in turn harms the marketplace.
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