Wednesday, October 23, 2024
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Getting Voters Connected: Broadband’s Role in Access to Election Info
Where Generative AI Could Take Us, and How the Broadband Industry May Benefit
Elections 2024
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The internet plays an ineffable role in our election process. But imagine if you didn’t have internet access to livestream the recent debates, or if you couldn’t read up on the candidates’ policy platforms with a quick Google search. Worse than that, what if you missed your state’s voter registration deadline or couldn’t locate your polling site, since you couldn’t look it up online? It’s often overlooked that many Americans still don’t have high-speed internet access, even in 2024 when our lives have increasingly shifted online. While we use the internet every day to learn, work and connect with others, it’s also how we participate in democracy and remain civically engaged. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the integrity of our elections greatly benefits from expanded connectivity. Improved technological infrastructure not only safeguards our election processes, but also helps make voting easier.
The upcoming election is poised to have major ramifications for regulation of the tech industry, with control of Congress and the White House virtually a toss-up just two weeks out. A look at the three top races to watch this cycle:
- Texas Senate seat: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) vs. Colin Allred (D-TX). No single congressional race may be as impactful for the tech sector as Sen. Ted Cruz’s reelection bid against Rep. Colin Allred. Democrats have long dreamed of flipping Cruz’s seat blue in the typically conservative bastion of Texas, but Cruz is again considered to have an edge in the race, according to the Cook Political Report. While a surprise Cruz defeat would have huge implications for the Senate, it could be felt acutely in Silicon Valley given his prominence on the chamber’s powerful Commerce Committee.
- California’s 16th District: Sam Liccardo (D-CA) vs. Evan Low (D-CA). One of the races most closely watched by tech insiders this year features two Democrats, Sam Liccardo and Evan Low, who are vying to replace the retiring Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) in California’s 16th congressional district, which includes parts of Silicon Valley. Liccardo, a former mayor of San Jose, took a tougher stance against major tech companies at a recent debate. He called for opening platforms up to liability if they fail to meet industry standards on issues like child safety and for requiring that they verify the ages of users. Low, a member of the state assembly, has worked closely with the tech industry as co-chair of the California Technology and Innovation Caucus and has earned plaudits from tech trade groups.
- Ohio Senate seat: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) vs. Bernie Moreno (R-OH). The crypto industry has launched an unprecedented campaign to elect lawmakers friendly to their regulatory agenda, spending more than $134 million to mobilize voters this cycle. The stakes for crypto policy are high: Brown has called for more stringent regulation of the sector and holds an influential role in policymaking as chair of the Senate Banking Committee. Moreno, meanwhile, has a blockchain background and has advocated “pro-crypto” policies.
“You are walking on a street and generative AI can tell you, ‘I just found a great restaurant that aligns with your tastes, and you haven’t eaten Italian in a month!’” That’s an example that Kaveh Vahdat—Founder and CEO at RiseAngle and Founder and President at RiseOpp—used to describe the future with artificial intelligence. RiseAngle is a game-creation platform and RiseOpp is a fractional marketing agency, both powered by generative AI. As for how AI can impact broadband companies and customer service, Vahdat said this vision of the generative AI future has big implications for how providers will serve their customers. “Chatbots have gained a lot of traction,” Vahdat said, “you just need to train them on your company data. Instead of presenting dumb responses to customers, it can follow specific sequences and provide better responses.”
The arrival of on-device artificial intelligence could radically reshape the app/app-store model that has ruled the tech industry in the smartphone era. Traditionally, Apple and Google have dominated the mobile era by controlling the two major smartphone ecosystems and their associated app stores. But Qualcomm recently announced it is bringing the next generation of its Oryon chip to the smartphone—basically, putting the full power of a PC processor inside a phone. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said that he sees on-device AI fundamentally reshaping tech's competitive landscape. "It could change some of the established constructs that we have built in our heads about OSes and app stores," Amon said.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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