In the digital landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybercriminal activities has marked the beginning of a new era of threats. The “machine war” has indeed commenced, with AI enhancing the scale and sophistication of cyberattacks. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, in particular, have become more formidable with AI’s capabilities, presenting significant challenges for cybersecurity defenses.

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program(BEAD) provides regional ISPs (RSPs) a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally offer quality broadband service to the many unserved and underserved communities that are so physically or financially challenging to reach. While the application and approval process to receive funding has been arduous and has consumed more time than hoped, it has been necessary to cleanly identify locations in need.