BEAD’s Second Act: The Future Is Pending Approval
The road to rural access to AI-enabled services runs through the permit office. Chips, data centers, and electricity get the attention, but delivering AI to a farmer’s field, a rural clinic, or a factory floor takes a broadband network. Building it means navigating utility poles, road crossings, and public rights-of-way—each with a gatekeeper who can keep the future waiting.
Private investment will connect most of America. In many rural areas, however, getting that investment to pencil out will require policies that improve the incentives to build. The potential benefits are…
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