Gov performance

Reps Scott Peters (D-CA) and Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced the Proper Leadership to Align Networks for Broadband Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would require the Administration to develop and implement a national strategy to close the digital divide.  The PLAN for Broadband Act is based on a Government Accountability Office report that found federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Brendan Carr, recently launched his own proceeding he calls “IN RE: DELETE, DELETE, DELETE.” Carr says he’s following Trump’s orders to deregulate the telecommunications industry to spur economic prosperity.

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has enjoyed a number of perks since Musk became omnipresent at President Trump’s side. Since the election, the platform has become a go-to source for administration information, as Musk provides real-time updates about his Department of Government Efficiency and targets for federal cost-cutting to his more than 219 million followers. In February, at least a dozen government agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and Defense Department, established new DOGE-focused X accounts to seek tips about federal waste and fraud.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society launched four new research projects to examine a variety of barriers to building and using broadband. Since the passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, states have been working to achieve universal internet access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and the Digital Equity Act (DEA) programs.

The White House Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, issued two revised policies to facilitate responsible AI adoption to improve public services. These policies fundamentally shift perspectives and direction from the prior Administration, focusing now on utilizing emerging technologies to modernize the Federal Government.

When was the last time you thought about the fiber optic cables and satellites that keep you connected to the internet — making it possible to stream shows, book doctor’s appointments, send emails or read this article? Or the network of monitors throughout reservoirs, aqueducts, pipes and treatment facilities that enable us to drink and wash in clean water? When many people hear the word “infrastructure,” larger projects like bridges, roads and dams might come to mind. But unlike hard infrastructure, digital infrastructure is often invisible to even its most frequent users.

President Donald Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader, and Washington hatchet man. The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving relationship. Musk’s looming exit comes as s

“One more thing” is the line that Detective Columbo typically uttered in the eponymous 1970s detective series; it signaled that Columbo was on the brink of solving the episode’s puzzle. If Columbo were around today, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) may have vexed him had he pondered its impact. Did it move the broadband adoption dial? If so, by how much?

Recipients of Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants have expressed worries that years of planning to bring internet to underserved rural households could be stymied by the Trump administration’s shift in the program’s direction.

It is the policy of the United States to modernize its processes to attract substantial domestic and foreign investment in the United States and to actively assist those building here for the benefit of our Nation’s economic prosperity to unleash investment from our small businesses to the largest companies. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, shall establish within the Department of Commerce an office named the United States Investment Accelerator (Inv