Casey Lide Quoted in Broadband Breakfast Article on BEAD Weariness, Plus Artificial Intelligence

Keller and Heckman Partner Casey Lide was quoted in the Broadband Breakfast article, “BEAD Weariness and AI Ambition Collide at Mountain Connect.” The article reports that the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, as well as artificial intelligence, were two major themes at the recent Mountain Connect conference held in Denver, Colorado.

Discussing the BEAD program, Casey said the industry’s reaction to ongoing delays has shifted from anticipation to fatigue. “There’s not a sense of, ‘we have all this money, we’re going to go start good things, we’re excited to do it.’ It’s just weary,” Casey said during the Fiber Networks for AI and Data Centers: From the Middle Mile to the Edge panel session. 

Turning to AI, Casey noted that edge deployments are already outrunning forecasts, citing a natural resources department that used AI to count the travels of fish populations. He added that while predictions of cloud and data center investment were overstated, predictions of edge AI investment are understated.

To read the full article, please click here.