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Washington, March 20, 2024 – The White House announced Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Budget Last week, $6 billion was set aside to improve internet affordability for consumers and $112 million was set aside to expand rural broadband infrastructure.
Proposed budget highlights certain broadband and technology initiatives as integral to president’s agenda Joe BidenAn economic vision that lowers costs, spurs job growth, boosts manufacturing and ensures protection for American consumers.
In addition, the budget allocates more than $20 billion to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing leadership and establish technology innovation centers in underserved areas.
Additionally, it prioritizes attracting top technical talent to federal agencies and implements the administration’s October 2023 executive order on the safe development of artificial intelligence.
However, the realization of these ambitious plans depends on the legislative process in Congress, and the approval timetable is subject to negotiations and possible delays. Since the fiscal year typically begins on October 1, Congress aims to pass budget resolutions and appropriations bills early to ensure smooth government operations.
FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Initiative – $6 billion
A large portion of broadband funding in the fiscal 2025 budget is earmarked for the Affordable Connectivity Initiative, which incorporates the administration’s pending plans $6 billion supplemental request Maintain the plan until 2024.
Additionally, the Administration has made a clear commitment to working with Congress to secure additional funding for the ACP program in 2025 and beyond.
According to the proposed budget, ACP has helped 23 million households save more than $500 million per month on Internet bills.
The program was established under the $14 billion allocated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.Funding for the program is Expected to last until Aprilmarking the last fully supported month.
The program provides a $30 monthly discount on Internet service to low-income households and up to $75 monthly to qualifying households on tribal lands and high-cost areas. Additionally, it offers one-time discounts of up to $100 on electronic devices.
USDA’s ReConnect Program – $112 million
The 2025 budget proposes $112 million for USDA’s ReConnect program.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Electronic Connectivity Loans and Grants “ReConnect” Program Provide funding to organizations to deploy broadband infrastructure in underserved areas, with a special focus on tribal areas.
Recipients of ReConnect funds must ensure that their broadband networks achieve symmetrical speeds of at least 100 megabits per second.
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the USDA received $2.3 billion to expand broadband access to rural areas in 35 states and territories. These efforts are expected to provide connections to more than 137,000 homes, according to the proposed budget.
CHIPS and Science Act – $20 billion
The majority of the funds allocated under the proposed budget for the 2025 Technology Plan will be used for significant investments in the U.S. semiconductor industry. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
The $20 billion investment will be spread across major research institutions to inspire U.S. leadership in semiconductor research, development and production.
At the National Science Foundation, these investments will span a range of areas, including supporting regional innovation initiatives and funding emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science, including Quantum computingand launches initiatives aimed at promoting workforce development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Consistent with this agenda, Budget 2025 seeks to safeguard supply chain and national security interests, strengthen U.S. leadership in manufacturing, and increase the availability of accurate economic data for relevant countries.
The proposed appropriations for fiscal year 2025 are an increase of $1.2 billion over the fiscal year 2023 appropriations.
EDA’s Technology Center Initiative – Over $4 Billion
FY25 Budget Allocates $4 Billion in Mandatory Funding for U.S. Economic Development Administration Regional Technology and Innovation Center Programenacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
The Technology Centers Program provides funding and support to establish centers that serve as centers of innovation, collaboration and economic growth.
The centers aim to bring together businesses, research institutions, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to facilitate the development and commercialization of new technologies, stimulate job creation and increase the competitiveness of regional economies.
Additionally, $41 million in discretionary funding is earmarked for small grants designed to advance technology and innovation in underrepresented areas.
Collectively, this funding enables EDA to establish dynamic and targeted regional technology hubs, promote geographic diversity in innovation, and create high-quality jobs within underserved and vulnerable communities across the country.
EDA-supported technology centers focus on advancing a variety of technologies across multiple industries, including: information technology, software development, agriculture and food technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other connectivity solutions.
Under the Chip and Science Act, the Department of Commerce launched 31 technology centers aimed at transforming communities across the country into hubs of innovation critical to U.S. competitiveness, as outlined in the FY25 budget.
Artificial Intelligence Executive Order – $65 million
The budget also proposes $65 million in funding for the Department of Commerce to oversee, regulate, and advance artificial intelligence, with a focus on protecting the American public from social risks.
This funding will enable the Department to effectively implement key aspects of government policy Executive Order 14110titled “Safe, reliable, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence.”
Specifically, the National Institute of Standards and Technology will establish the National Artificial Intelligence Security Institute to implement NIST’s Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework.
This will involve developing guidance, tools, benchmarks and best practices for assessing and mitigating the potentially harmful capabilities of artificial intelligence. Activities will include assessments such as red team exercises to identify and address AI-related risks.
The institute’s responsibilities will extend to providing technical guidance to regulators considering rulemaking and enforcement actions on a variety of artificial intelligence-related issues.
These include verifying human-created content, watermarking AI-generated content, combating algorithmic discrimination, ensuring transparency, and promoting the adoption of privacy-preserving AI.
Additionally, the institute will play a key role in shaping a future workforce that is trained to use AI technologies safely and reliably.
Additional funding for artificial intelligence initiatives is earmarked for each agency to appoint a “chief artificial intelligence officer” to oversee the agency’s use of artificial intelligence technology.
These officials will work to implement new AI technologies to enhance government services while establishing necessary safeguards to protect the public’s rights and safety in AI applications.
US Digital Services Team – No exact budget allocation specified
The budget proposal sustains investments in american digital servicesrecruiting top technology talent from the private sector to solve complex challenges within federal agencies.
USDS personnel are deployed across departments to provide new skills and expertise to existing teams. Over the past decade, USDS has played a key role in modernizing institutional operations by mitigating the risks associated with large IT projects that have historically been prone to failure.
For example, USDS is helping the Federal Communications Commission expand broadband access, helping the Internal Revenue Service upgrade outdated systems to provide better taxpayer services, and helping the Department of Health and Human Services streamline the Medicaid enrollment process.
The budget also includes an additional $32 million to USDS, the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management to support National Artificial Intelligence Talent Boom Initiative across the federal government.
GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund – $75 million
The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget allocates an additional $75 million to the Technology Modernization Fund, an unrestricted reserve of funds to enhance cybersecurity and modernize outdated IT infrastructure across federal departments and agencies, administered by the General Services Administration .
The fund was previously increased by more than $1 billion under the American Rescue Plan Act GSA’s Budget JustificationTMF “is expected to allocate the vast majority of existing funds… and plans to announce several large value investments in the first half of 2024.”
Strengthening antitrust enforcement – $288 million
The budget proposal provides $288 million for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
The $288 million includes $13.7 million to strengthen antitrust enforcement and 83 positions, $14.9 million for technology and data modernization support, and $23.9 million to maintain IT operations.
Its purpose is to strengthen antitrust enforcement, promote fierce competition in the market, and ultimately reduce costs while increasing the wages of the American people.
This is an increase of $63 million from the 2023 enacted levels and a $103 million increase from the 2021 enacted levels.
Addressing emerging cyber threats – $32 million
The budget strengthens the Department of Justice’s ability to combat cyber threats by strengthening the FBI’s cyber and counterintelligence investigative capabilities.
This includes an increase of $25 million to strengthen cyber response capabilities and maintain the FBI’s cyber intelligence, counterintelligence and analysis capabilities.
Additionally, $5 million has been allocated to expand a new division within the Justice Department’s National Security Division dedicated to responding to cyber threats.
Additionally, the budget allocates $2 million to the Department of Justice to support the implementation of Executive Order 14110, “The Development and Use of Safe, Reliable, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence.”
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