Congresswoman April McClain Delaney Condemns Irresponsible AI Moratorium Hidden in Federal Broadband Funding
Congresswoman April McClain Delaney Condemns Irresponsible AI Moratorium Hidden in Federal Broadband Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Rural Broadband Task Force, released a statement condemning Senate Republicans’ inclusion of a provision that would force states to adopt a moratorium on AI regulation upon receipt of federal funding to expand broadband through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD). Before serving in Congress, Congresswoman McClain Delaney served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and for decades worked to protect the safety of children online through her work with Common Sense Media.
“It is deeply irresponsible and wholly absurd to force states to choose between expanding essential broadband infrastructure and protecting their residents—especially children and small businesses—from the growing and so far largely unchecked risks of artificial intelligence. This provision undermines the very purpose of the BEAD program: to support jobs, healthcare and education for underserved regions, including rural communities in my district and across the country. It was never meant to be used as a backdoor to grant sweeping exemptions to AI developers.
The inclusion of this moratorium puts children at greater risk of exposure to harmful content generated or amplified by AI, and it opens the door to unregulated copyright infringement that could devastate small creators and businesses. We cannot allow the health and safety of families—or the economic security of our business community—to be held hostage in exchange for vital broadband access.
This issue deserves a full, transparent debate and a stand-alone bill—not to be rammed through as a rider through our federal budget reconciliation process. I urge the Senate Majority to reconsider this misguided provision and put the priorities of families and businesses ahead of private tech interests.”
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