Pallone on AI: Republicans Are Only Serious About Helping Big Tech

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks today at a Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on “AI in the Everyday: Current Applications and Future Frontiers in Communications and Technology”:

We’ve now had numerous hearings this Congress on artificial intelligence.  We’ve heard about the benefits and risks of AI.  And while we continue to hold hearings and debate the need to adopt common sense guardrails to protect consumers from bad actors using AI, some states have already moved forward and adopted laws providing basic consumer protections from the negative consequences of some uses of AI. 

Instead of learning from what the states are doing, House Republicans last month passed a 10-year ban on a states’ ability to enforce their own laws protecting consumers from AI’s harms.  This provision, included in the budget reconciliation, is nothing more than a giant gift to Big Tech. 

It would block enforcement of laws on the books right now that are protecting consumers from real-world harms.  Some states have laws requiring companies to disclose when they are using AI.  Others have laws protecting against the use of deepfakes in elections, and protecting consumers when AI is used in health care, education, housing, and employment. 

Now, Republicans want to ban the enforcement of all these state laws with absolutely no national bill ready to go to address these concerns. Instead of enriching Big Tech, we should be working towards strong federal legislation to govern and guide the development of these powerful AI systems, which are rapidly being incorporated into more and more aspects of our everyday lives.     

The Trump Administration also continues to undermine our progress in building the connectivity infrastructure needed to power the AI models of today and tomorrow.  For no good reason, this Administration continues to stand still in rolling out one of the key demands of AI – fiber.  Broadband programs designed to bring high-capacity fiber to both data centers and our homes are critical if America wants to continue to lead the world in AI. 

Any delays in connecting every home and business to reliable, high-speed internet only benefits our foreign adversaries. America’s strength comes from our ability to build and deploy the most advanced technology here and then share it with the rest of the world.  But this cannot happen if everyone in America does not have high-speed internet access. I therefore urge the Trump Administration to get out of their own way and let the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $42 billion BEAD program move forward as intended – letting the states deploy networks that are fast, reliable, and can meet the technological demands for decades to come.

We must also acknowledge that simply bringing the internet to American homes will not allow us to lead the world in AI.  To complete the task, Americans need to understand how to use AI.  This is why House Democrats voted to include the Digital Equity Act as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  This Act funds programs that can help seniors, veterans, the disabled, and others learn the skills needed to fully participate in our digital economy. 

Yet, in the last couple of weeks, President Trump unilaterally and illegally decided to stop the funding for these programs falsely claiming that they are racist.  But teaching grandparents and veterans how to use AI, as well as protect themselves from scams, and schedule doctor appointments and and applying for jobs online has nothing to do with race, and everything to do real life in today’s digital age.  And these programs provide a legally sound lifeline to those in need. 

Finally, while we will need guardrails to govern and guide the development of AI, there is no question that AI has the potential to advance how our communications networks serve the public.  For instance, AI models can be deployed in our networks to help enhance resiliency and reliability, so that when natural disasters hit or other life-threatening events occur, Americans can rapidly assess the damage and quickly get the help they need.  This is why it is crucial that we fund the deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG911) across the country.  So, it’s a shame that House Republicans want to use spectrum auction proceeds to fund giant tax breaks for America’s billionaires and big corporations instead of helping fund NG911. 

And with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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