Elections and Media

Tech-world insiders are getting more involved than ever in national politics this year—and it’s not just Elon Musk. But as the presidential election looms, there’s a major disconnect between American politics and Big Tech when it comes to their visions of America’s future.

s election day quickly approaches, access to the internet is more important than ever. Yet, 17% of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) don’t have access to reliable high-speed internet at home. For communities without broadband, engaging in the voting process becomes more difficult and could deter voter participation. Digital devices are the most common way Americans get their news, with a large majority of U.S. adults (86%) saying they “at least sometimes” get their news from a smartphone, computer, or tablet.

As president of the United States, Donald Trump threatened the federally issued licenses of television broadcast outlets that displeased him. Now, in 2024, as a presidential candidate, Donald Trump has reasserted that broadcasters who displease him should lose their federal airwave licenses.

From a tight Senate race in Arizona to congressional contests in Texas and Illinois, Democratic candidates are wrapping their arms around Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. But one candidate is keeping Khan at arm’s length. Vice President Kamala Harris has declined to appear with Khan or campaign on her energetic antitrust agenda — much less defend the FTC chair against a chorus of Silicon Valley donors calling for her head, or Khan’s GOP critics on Capitol Hill.

Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) says she will build an Opportunity Economy where everyone has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead. Renewing the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is part of that agenda. Earlier this year, Congress failed to allocate funding for ACP and made monthly broadband bills more expensive for 23 million households enrolled in the program.

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:

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.

Elon Musk’s influence over the federal government is extraordinary, and extraordinarily lucrative. His companies were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different contracts with 17 federal agencies in 2023. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, effectively dictates NASA’s rocket launch schedule. The Defense Department relies on him to get most of its satellites to orbit. His entanglements with federal regulators are also numerous and adversarial.

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) unveiled his ticket's plans to improve the lives of rural voters, as Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) looks to cut into Donald Trump's (R-FL) support. The Harris-Walz plan calls on Congress to permanently extend telemedicine coverage under Medicare, a pandemic-era benefit that helped millions access care that is set to expire at the end of 2024.

Let’s discuss the current Broadband Policy State of Play and how the election may affect it. There are four fundamental goals of broadband policy: