Fischer Leads Hearing on AI in Communications Networks

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, convened a hearing examining how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming communications networks and how the technology can enhance services across the country. Click here to download video of Fischer’s opening remarks Watch the full hearing here This hearing titled “Intelligent Networks: Powering Artificial Intelligence and Transforming Communications” was convened by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 10:00am ET. The witnesses for the hearing are as follows: Mr. Dan Watermeier, Commissioner, Nebraska Public Service Commission Mr. Jonathan Spalter, President and CEO of USTelecom—The Broadband Association Mr. Bob Everson, Chief Architect, Cisco Fischer’s remarks as prepared : Good morning to the members of this subcommittee and to our witnesses. Thank you all for being here. This hearing will explore the relationship between telecommunications infrastructure and artificial intelligence. That relationship moves in both directions: AI requires low-latency and high-bandwidth networks. But AI has real potential to make networks more efficient and secure. This hearing is not intended to be a referendum on the merits of artificial intelligence. Around the world, however, our allies and adversaries are jockeying for AI leadership. To position the United States for ongoing economic and security leadership, the U.S. needs AI-supportive and AI-enhanced networks. AI is increasingly a part of Americans’ everyday lives. For example, in 2024, nearly three-quarters of enterprises used AI for at least one business function. In 2025, more than half of Americans reported using generative AI. These trends have been accompanied by a surge in demand across networks. And AI adoption is only expected to grow. Most enterprises are still scaling their uses of AI, and many individual AI uses are for basic search functions. As AI use and downstream applications of AI continue to grow, demand for reliable, high-speed, high-capacity networks will also grow. Today, we will explore how the rapid adoption of AI has impacted existing network infrastructure. This includes the new demand that AI has added to networks. We will explore how widespread AI use has forced networks to evolve, requiring more capacity and more complex designs so that AI can run efficiently on those networks. We will consider how government, providers, and other industries are responding to that demand. Private companies have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in network deployment in recent years. Various federal broadband programs have also provided billions to support targeted network deployment and maintenance throughout the country. We will review obstacles to AI-supportive networks. Opaque regulations and lack of coordination should not get in the way of network development and the many downstream applications it enables. Finally, we will consider how AI can be used to improve our networks. Zooming out from the technical questions, we must also ask a more fundamental question: Why must our networks be prepared for AI? First, America has a geostrategic imperative to make sure our networks are the best in the world. Now, more than ever, we cannot fall behind in developing the most resilient and secure networks. Second, to reap the full economic benefits that AI and other rapidly emerging technologies are promising, we need reliable connectivity for individuals and enterprises all over the country. This is not connectivity for the sake of checking a box or hitting a milestone. Nebraska’s hardest-to-reach communities include farms and ranches that are at the leading edge of connectivity-based ag solutions. Rural hospitals depend on resilient and secure communications networks to use state-of-the-art medical technologies and reach patients in remote areas. Manufacturers rely on the Internet of Things, robotics, and cloud-based systems to streamline internal processes and improve quality control. As AI adoption increases, so will the demand for reliable and resilient communications infrastructure. Networks are the backbone along which the enormous amounts of data associated with AI are transmitted. I look forward to discussing both how networks are adapting to respond to AI and how AI is being used in networks to proactively plan for the future. ###