Chris Teale

‘Unmet needs’ persist in Tribal broadband despite progress, report finds The $3 billion set aside for Tribal connectivity is unprecedented, the Urban Institute found, but communities face familiar challenges if they are to truly take advantage.

Progress, but still lots of "unmet needs" in Tribal broadband, according to a recent Urban Institute report. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

AI risks creating a ‘demand machine' for governments, report warns Instead of making public-sector employees' lives easier, the tech could create even more work, unless leaders rethink agency processes and workflows, researchers at New America said.

@routefifty.bsky.social's @christeale.bsky.social covered RethinkAI's piece on how #AI will increase demand for government services before it increases efficiency. https://www.route-fifty.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/03/ai-risks-creating-demand-machine-governments-report-warns/411830/

Iran-linked hacktivists could target governments, experts warn State and local governments and some crucial technology infrastructure are among the key retaliatory targets as hostilities escalate in the Middle East.

State and local governments could be targets for Iran-linked hacktivists in retaliatory strikes, experts warned yesterday. www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurit...

AI could be ‘force multiplier’ in tackling housing crisis, expert says Cities across the country are using the technology to ease permitting approvals and backlogs, and one leader called on them to lean in further and set ambitious but achievable goals.

Housing affordability is a massive issue, and one leader said AI can be a "force multiplier" in helping ease it, including by speeding up permitting approvals and backlogs. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Leaders sound the alarm for physical and cyber attacks ahead of summer World Cup A lack of federal grant funding and information sharing could hamper preparations, they said, and leave cities vulnerable to physical or cyberattacks when games get underway.

Concerns are growing about the U.S.'s readiness for the World Cup in a few months amid frozen grant funding and a lack of information sharing capabilities. www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurit...

New York counties to roll out AI assessment tool The new dashboard will help county tech and procurement leaders analyze and evaluate various products available on the market as they try to adopt them responsibly.

New York counties soon will have access to a dashboard that will allow them to evaluate AI tools and see what their peers think. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Localities bemoan apparent ‘race to the bottom’ on data centers Attendees at the National Association of Counties said tech companies are not being good partners, but research and recent deals suggest a new way of doing business for local governments.

More from NACo's meeting this week, this time on data centers and what some have termed a "race to the bottom" to attract them. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

‘It’s not over’: Cyber info-sharing center begins ‘next chapters’ after losing federal funding The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center now has 24 states and 3,000 individual organizations as dues-paying members after losing federal funding, a leader said.

The first of a few from the National Association of Counties' Legislative Conference in D.C. This first one on the future of the MS-ISAC and cybersecurity information sharing. www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurit...

FCC could tighten federal Lifeline program rules The agency is advancing new eligibility requirements in the face of what it says is massive fraud across several states in the $1 billion-a-year internet and phone low-income assistance program.

The federal Lifeline program could be subject to tighter rules under a plan advanced by the FCC. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

Feds want to stop states regulating, blocking prediction markets The online marketplaces have exploded in popularity, but while state leaders say they are like sports betting, regulators argue they are instead subject to federal oversight and threatened legal actio...

First we had sports betting, and now we have prediction markets, which look to be another flashpoint between the federal government and the states. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

Age verification laws face mixed prospects, experts say A Supreme Court decision last year on a Texas law may have opened the door for similar rules. But speakers at State of the Net warned they face a long road fraught with challenges.

Age verification is never not in the news, especially state laws restricting minors' access to social media. But it faces a tricky path ahead. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

How Oklahoma has embraced ‘accountable innovation’ The Sooner State has run hard towards AI in its bid for government efficiency, but one of its tech leaders said during a recent conference that transparency and training are critical.

Oklahoma is looking to practice "accountable innovation" as it embraces AI. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

California senator dings ‘ham handed’ approach to AI preemption Scott Wiener, a key architect of major tech legislation in the state, said efforts to stop others doing the same are overly broad, especially as Congress has not legislated on the issue.

California Senator Scott Wiener said this week that Congress' efforts to preempt state AI laws have been "ham handed." www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Debate intensifies over how to spend leftover BEAD money One elected leader said Congress needs “more say” on spending, while others said it should stick to its original intent and be used by states to close the digital divide how they see fit.

Truly a $21 billion question. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

Researchers warn of AI, data centers’ water impact Two separate reports warned the technology and the infrastructure needed to power it could exhaust water supplies. But they said policy could help avert the worst disasters.

Two recent reports warned of the impact of data centers and AI on water, but said policy changes and fixing leaks could help avert the worst of it. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Maine secretary of state reflects on a tumultuous period Shenna Bellows has lived through federal demands for voter data, ICE raids, doxing and more. But with this year’s midterm elections fast approaching, there’s more to do.

From my conversation with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who's had to deal with all manner of issues including ICE, a DOJ voter data request/demand and doxing. www.route-fifty.com/people/2026/...

Super Bowl gears up for massive security operation While immigration officials will reportedly not be present at the San Francisco game this weekend, a raft of federal, state and local agencies will be on site to keep the event safe from various threa...

The Super Bowl is on Sunday and state, local and federal agencies of various stripes say they are prepared. www.route-fifty.com/public-safet...

Mayors group rolls out AI playbook The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Google partnered on the playbook, which they said would help city leaders deploy the technology safely and measure success.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Google unveiled an AI playbook last week to help city leaders get to grips with how to use the tech. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

‘Cowards’: State leaders condemn Trump admin election actions A raid in Georgia and continued government legal action for voter data prompted a furious response, especially after administration officials abruptly withdrew from a hastily scheduled conference appe...

An interesting time was had last week at the National Association of Secretaries of State's winter conference. www.route-fifty.com/people/2026/...

FirstNet reauthorization effort hits Congress A Senate subcommittee discussed reupping the public safety network’s authority before it lapses next year, while a new House bill would do the same.

Congress is starting to get into gear to reauthorize the authority for FirstNet, the dedicated public safety communications network. www.route-fifty.com/public-safet...

Expert warns of the ‘digitally invisible’ population amid yawning digital divide It’s not just infrastructure that keeps people offline, but also a lack of digital skills and trust, warned Nicol Turner Lee of the Brookings Institution during this week’s CX Workshop.

Digital equity remains a hot topic, and an expert at this week's CX Workshop warned of the "digitally invisible" population. www.route-fifty.com/people/2026/...

Most workers at risk from AI can transition, report finds Recent research from the Brookings Institution warned that while most workers exposed to AI can pivot, millions in administrative and clerical roles may struggle.

Interesting research from Brookings, which found that millions of workers exposed to AI should be OK to pivot for various reasons, but some may struggle. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

AI preemption ‘top of mind’ for state, local tech leaders Observers called for an intergovernmental working group as well as better collaboration, one month on from President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting “cumbersome” state AI regulations.

The federal government's preemption of state AI laws remains "top of mind" for tech leaders as the new year rumbles on. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Report card finds ‘room for improvement’ in states’ school cell phone policies Just two states — North Dakota and Rhode Island — have implemented what several groups described as a “gold standard” bell-to-bell policy. Others have more work to do.

Most states can do better in their policies on cell phone use in school, according to a new report card. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

House hearings highlight AI divides Two separate hearings last week shone light on lingering issues over preempting state and local AI regulations and the role of Congress in finally forming a national standard.

Two House hearings last week highlighted ongoing tensions between Congress and state governments about regulating AI. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Reddit briefly blocked on university network Catholic University in Washington, D.C. said an automated system flagged the platform during a routine scan, and it was quickly reversed after pushback. Some worry it sets a dangerous precedent for th...

Catholic University in Washington, D.C. briefly blocked Reddit on school networks, then unblocked it, blaming an overzealous automated content filter. www.route-fifty.com/people/2026/...

Counties wrestle with data centers’ power consumption A recent survey from the National Association of Counties found that more than half of leaders spend time discussing data centers and other energy-intensive facilities.

At the National Association of Counties' event last week, several leaders discussed data centers and how they're dealing with various issues surrounding them. www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Feds announce two new drone test sites The sites — the first new ones in over a decade — will be in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The sites are the first new ones to be unveiled by the FAA in a decade. www.route-fifty.com/emerging-tec...

House explores grid cybersecurity boosts amid growing threats Several bills would reauthorize programs designed to protect energy infrastructure from nation-states and other threats while helping publicly owned utilities defend themselves and share information.

Several House bills would look to help state and local governments and their utilities boost the electric grid's cybersecurity. www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurit...

New Jersey’s innovation office first to be enshrined in state law In his final weeks in office, Gov. Phil Murphy codified the state’s digital delivery team, which is now known as the New Jersey Innovation Authority.

New Jersey's innovation office is now codified in law, the first in the nation to be. www.route-fifty.com/customer-exp...