Why universities are valuable AI partners for local governments, and how to build and leverage those relationships.
Introduction: Bridging an AI Divide
As governments and communities across the United States struggle to make sense of artificial intelligence, one of the most capable—and underutilized—partners is often hiding in plain sight: local colleges and universities. Much of the public conversation about AI focuses on big tech companies or federal regulation. Meanwhile, far less attention has been paid to how higher education institutions can help cities and nonprofits deploy AI to serve residents and strengthen public trust.
Across the United States, higher education institutions are already governing AI internally, experimenting with operational use cases, and absorbing unprecedented investment to build technical capacity. And as the appetite for an AI-trained workforce blossoms, local colleges are now a prime pipeline for talent. At the same time, local governments and nonprofits are just beginning to respond to and translate AI’s promise into public value.
This asymmetry presents a clear gap: Colleges and universities are increasingly adept at deploying AI, but the connection between local communities and higher ed remains underdeveloped.
A proposal to enact a moratorium on new data centers across the country is gaining traction among progressives on Capitol Hill.
Last year hundreds of advocacy groups, led by Food and Water Watch, sent House and Senate lawmakers are letter calling for a “National Data Center Moratorium Now!” They cited energy, water and other environmental concerns. But only Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared to take them up on the plan.
Now, even though the idea remains unpopular with members of both parties, it’s gaining currency among lawmakers like former Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). Sanders said he’s preparing legislation.
Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, says his company refused to allow its AI product, Claude, to be used by the Trump Administration without certain guidelines (such as not using its AI to power fully-autonomous weapons without any human involvement).
That prompted President Trump to announce Friday that he is banning Anthropic's technology from all federal use, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth labeled the company "a supply chain risk to national security." Amodei talks with correspondent Jo Ling Kent about why he calls the administration's actions "retaliatory and punitive."
Sam Altman sits with his legs pretzeled in an office chair, staring deeply into the ceiling. To be fair, the new OpenAI headquarters—a temple of glass and blond wood in San Francisco’s Mission Bay—seems to invite this kind of contemplation. A kiosk behind reception holds booklets that describe the “Eras of AI” as if they were steps on the path to enlightenment. Posters along the stairs mark AI’s milestone victories, like the time thousands of humans watched on livestream as a machine beat a top-ranked esports team at Dota 2. In the hallways, researchers pass by in sacred merch. One shirt reads “Good research takes time.” Ideally, not too much.
Altman and I are in an enormous conference room. The question I put to him is about the AI coding revolution—and why OpenAI doesn’t seem to be leading it. Millions of software engineers have started delegating their programming tasks to AI, forcing many in Silicon Valley to reckon with the automation of their jobs for the first time. Coding agents have emerged as one of the few areas where enterprises are willing to pay a lot for AI. This moment could, and arguably should, be the next triumphant poster along the stairs for OpenAI. But the name in big print right now belongs to someone else.
AT&T committed to investing $250B over five years to expand “always-on” fiber, wireless and satellite networks
Analyst Roger Entner said this is a huge investment for AT&T, which already allocates more capex than Verizon or T-Mobile
AT&T also plans to hire “thousands” of new technicians in 2026
AT&T is doubling down on its network with a new $250 billion commitment that aims to accelerate fiber broadband, wireless and satellite deployments.
The announcement, which coincided with the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call, states AT&T will spend that $250 billion over the next five years to build “always-on connectivity” that supports AI, cloud computing, autonomous applications and other “data-heavy” services.
It’s unclear how much of the $250 billion will be spent annually, but according to Barron’s the figure is way higher than the $113.6 billion in capital expenditures that analysts have projected for the same period.
Data centers have long underpinned the internet as we know it, but the generative AI boom has ushered in a new era of rapid, largely unchecked development. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta alone are expected to spend over $700 billion on capital expenses in 2026, an increase of 60% from 2025. Much of that money will be funneled toward stockpiling specialized chips and breaking ground on massive new data center facilities across the U.S. and around the world.
Many of the data centers of old pale in comparison to new AI-focused facilities, some of which are the size of university campuses. The rapid development has inspired a new term for the tech giants that build them: hyperscalers.
For journalists, this moment of ballooning investment and aggressive rural land acquisition by tech companies presents an opportunity — and a responsibility — to investigate.
After years of work, T-Mobile and SpaceX are ready to officially launch the cellular Starlink service, allowing smartphone users to remain connected in dead zones.
This "T-Satellite" service has been available since January through a free beta program, which attracted about 1.8 million sign-ups. But starting July 23, T-Mobile begins charging subscribers for T-Satellite, as competition in satellite-to-phone services heats up.
Below, we’ll cover basic questions about the cellular Starlink service. Unlike the regular Starlink broadband system for homes, businesses, and RVs, the T-Satellite tech is designed to beam data to everyday smartphones, no accessories needed.
The federal government’s $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which aims to expand high-speed internet access nationwide, dominated broadband policy headlines in 2025. But state legislatures were also active in their efforts to bridge the digital divide. Combined, the states passed over 160 broadband-related bills and resolutions in 2025, including regulatory changes, expanding the authority of their broadband offices and addressing internet affordability for low-income customers.
As states prepare to deploy their BEAD projects and navigate new uncertainties from federal policymakers—including the potential withholding of some funding from states that have passed certain regulations on artificial intelligence—it will be increasingly important for states to balance the dual needs of administering federal funding and advancing their state-identified priorities. Bills passed in 2025 provide early insight as to how state legislatures may consider managing these dual challenges in 2026 and beyond.
X’s Grok is failing to accurately verify video footage from the Iran conflict and is sharing its own AI-generated images about the war.
When disinformation expert Tal Hagin asked Grok to verify a post on X about Iranian missiles that had supposedly struck Tel Aviv, Elon Musk’s AI-powered chatbot failed miserably.
NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Michael Thomas, CEO of Cleanview, about his new report on tech companies' plans to build their own off-grid power plants to provide energy for data centers.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Companies that include Amazon, Google, and OpenAI are racing to build data centers across the country to fuel the growth of artificial intelligence. But these facilities need massive amounts of energy, and this has people who live nearby concerned about their electric bills. President Trump says he's got a solution for these tech giants.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Build your own power plants. And everybody thought I was kidding. They said really? You can do that? How would you do that? I said, we'll get you your fast permits, then you'll build your own plants.
SIMON: That's the president at a White House roundtable this week, where a number of tech executives pledged to do just that. But many energy experts are skeptical. Michael Thomas is the founder and CEO of Cleanview, a market research company that tracks data centers and clean energy development. He joins us now from Boulder, Colorado. Thanks so much for being with us.
MICHAEL THOMAS: Thank you so much for having me.
SIMON: Is the president right? Would that work? Would it lower electricity prices?
The former DOGE software engineer told co-workers at his new job that he “possessed two tightly restricted databases of U.S. citizens’ information” and was planning to use the information at his new company, according to the report, which added that the Social Security Administration’s inspector general is investigating the whistleblower complaint.
The former DOGE employee, whom The Washington Post did not name, worked at the Social Security Administration last year.
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2026 – The wireless industry is urging regulators to clarify that light poles qualify as “poles” under federal pole attachment law, saying the change would make it easier to install small cell equipment and expand broadband service.
In recently filed comments, CTIA asked the Federal Communications Commission to confirm that Section 224 of the Communications Act applies to all utility-owned or controlled poles, including light poles.
Tech giants used the affordability of their services as a shield against scrutiny. In the AI era, that shield is breaking down, Issie Lapowsky reports.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Nearly two decades ago, Virginia gave tech companies a tax break on equipment and software, and they began to build. The state became a data center hub, and they kept building. Residents bemoaned the noise while they built some more. Artificial intelligence boomed, and the power grid strained — still, more building.
Over the past 18 years, Virginia became the world's largest data hub. The debate taking place there comes as dozens of communities nationwide are fighting data centers in local zoning meetings.
Now, amid a growing national pushback on data centers, Virginia senators have voted to end a projected $1.6 billion annual tax break, requiring the industry to resume paying a minimum 5.3% sales tax. The proposal has left some opponents warning that it would bring construction of data centers in Virginia to a screeching halt.
More than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google, including Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean, filed an amicus brief on Monday in support of Anthropic in its legal fight against the US government.
“If allowed to proceed, this effort to punish one of the leading US AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence and beyond,” the employees wrote.
The brief was filed just hours after Anthropic sued the Department of Defense and other federal agencies over the Pentagon’s decision to designate the company a “supply-chain risk.” The sanction, which severely limits Anthropic’s ability to work with military contractors, went into effect after Anthropic’s negotiations with the Pentagon fell apart. The AI startup is seeking a temporary restraining order to continue its work with military partners as the lawsuit progresses. This brief specifically supports this motion.
Major US technology companies have been named as potential targets as the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States begins to spill into the digital infrastructure that powers modern economies.
Iranian state-linked media this week published a list of offices and infrastructure run by US companies with Israeli links whose technology has been used for military applications. According to Al Jazeera, the companies include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle.
Many of these companies operate regional offices, cloud infrastructure, or data-center operations across the Gulf, including in the United Arab Emirates. None have released public statements on this development.
The list was published by the semi-official, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–linked Tasnim News Agency alongside a warning that the scope of the conflict could expand beyond traditional military targets.
You may be hearing a lot lately about critical minerals and rare earth elements. These natural materials are essential to industry and modern technology – everything from cellphones to fighter jets.
They include lithium and cobalt used in batteries, neodymium for magnets in motors and hard drives, and rare earths that are essential in defense systems, lasers and medical imaging. Critical minerals are also indispensable for renewable energy systems, energy storage and digital infrastructure. Without them, modern society – and any realistic path to a world with net-zero emissions – would not be possible.
Critical minerals get their name because they’re also highly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions from global events, trade tensions or economic instability. And, today, one country dominates many critical mineral supply chains: China.
With that in mind, many governments are looking for alternative sources of critical minerals, and several companies are eyeing the ocean floor as a potential new frontier for mining them.
Critical minerals are found in several forms in the ocean, from potato-size nodules to brine pools. They are also in some of the least understood parts of our planet.
The FCC has been tasked by Congress to find and auction 800 megahertz of mid-range spectrum. This was a key element of the One Big Beautiful Bill that planned to use the proceeds from spectrum auctions to offset other costs created by the bill. The bill specifically requires the FCC to auction 100 megahertz of spectrum in the upper C-Band, located at 3.98 – 4.2 GHz.
Overview. The roundup serves as a guide for navigating global digital policy based on the work of the Digital Policy Alert. To ensure trust, every finding links to the Digital Policy Alert entry with the official government source. The full Digital Policy Alert dataset is available for you to access, filter, and download.
To stay updated, Digital Policy Alert also offers a customizable notification service that provides free updates on your areas of interest. Digital Policy Alert’s tools further allow you to navigate, compare, and chat with the legal text of AI rules across the globe.
Drawing from the Digital Policy Alert’s daily monitoring of G20 countries, the roundup summarizes the highlights in four core areas of digital policy.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly polarizing — not just because of the content it produces or which jobs it might displace, but because many Americans believe it is driving up their electric bills.
Currently, most data centers draw from the public grid rather than securing their own energy sources – a fact that many associate with sky-high electricity prices. Responding to widespread bipartisan concern, President Trump gathered various technology executives at the White House this week to sign a pledge promising not to raise energy prices for consumers. Tech leaders should respond to this momentum by embracing data centers that are co-located with energy sources rather than relying on the grid’s power. Solutions like this will ensure everyday Americans never foot the bill for our country’s AI ambitions.
Most existing data centers are plugged into the grid, so they use the same energy supply on which households depend. When demand grows, utility companies often need to pass on costs of grid upgrades to consumers, so households end up paying more for their electricity. The pledge responds to this reality, but temporarily covering those costs and permanently eliminating them are two different things. There is a logical next step to turn promises into action.
SpaceX this week offered more details on its plan to deliver 5G connectivity with its next-generation cellular Starlink service for mobile phones.
“We are aiming at peak speeds of 150Mbps per user,” SpaceX satellite policy lead Udrivolf Pica said at the International Telecommunication Union's Space Connect conference. “So something incredible if you think about the link budgets from space to the mobile phone.”
ProPublica is releasing a trove of disclosure records that detail the finances of more than 1,500 Trump appointees, including former lobbyists, industry executives and at least a dozen officials who declined to identify former clients.
Thousands of companies are jockeying for billions of dollars in Defense Department contracts to build a shield designed to intercept and destroy missiles launched against the United States.
But amid the intense competition, a handful of firms have an important inside connection.
At least four of the companies awarded contracts so far are owned by Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm founded by billionaire Steve Feinberg, who until last year ran the company and is now the deputy secretary of defense — the second-highest-ranking official in the Pentagon.
Feinberg oversees the office in charge of the Golden Dome for America project, which is modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Feinberg filed paperwork saying he divested from Cerberus and its related businesses. But his government ethics records contain an unusual clause: He is allowed to continue contracting with the company for tax compliance and accounting services as well as health care coverage, a financial relationship that documents show could continue indefinitely.
Feinberg’s financial statements and ethics agreement are part of a trove of nearly 3,200 disclosure records that ProPublica is making public today. The disclosures, which can be viewed in a searchable online tool, detail the finances of more than 1,500 federal officials appointed by President Donald Trump. Records for Trump and Vice President JD Vance are also included.
Meta acquired Moltbook, the Reddit-like “social network” where AI agents using OpenClaw can communicate with one another. The news was first reported by Axios and later confirmed to TechCrunch.
Moltbook is joining Meta Superintelligence Labs, a Meta spokesperson told us. Moltbook creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will join the team as part of the acquisition. Deal terms were not disclosed.
“The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses. Their approach to connecting agents through an always-on directory is a novel step in a rapidly developing space, and we look forward to working together to bring innovative, secure agentic experiences to everyone,” the Meta spokesperson said.
For over two decades, American platforms effectively wrote and enforced the rules of the global internet. Companies such as Meta and Google built content moderation systems that became de facto global standards, and the rest of the world adapted. Now that dynamic is coming to an end.
I’ve written several blogs recently about the impact of AI on broadband. For example, it’s becoming clear that a lot of AI applications will require better upload broadband speeds. ISPs that haven’t yet upgraded upload speeds will likely find themselves at a competitive disadvantage, similar to what happened to cable companies during the pandemic, when it became clear that upload speeds were inadequate to support multiple folks working and schooling from home. I also wrote a blog that discussed the big increase in web traffic that has sprung up from AI web crawlers that constantly search the web for new content.
There are other, more subtle, impacts from the AI boom.
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