Tech and Telecom Wins Heading Into the State of the Union and Critical Questions

President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union of his second term on February 24, in a year that marks the 250th anniversary of the United States. While the focus may be border security, foreign policy, and the economy, beneath those headlines sits a less discussed story: tech policy. Heading into the address, the administration can point to tangible developments spanning wireless, artificial intelligence, semiconductor investment, and the evolving relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley.

The wins are substantial and reflect marked policy shifts. They also pose key questions:

Are Big Tech “wins” just elite consolidation? Why are Silicon Valley giants suddenly aligned with Washington?

The federal all-in, pro-innvoation framework for AI contrasts with the views of many state governors who are concerned with pre-emption of state authority, free speech and content moderation bias, regulatory overreach, energy and grid strain from data centers, industrial policy favoring large incumbents, workforce displacement, national security vulnerabilities, and risks to privacy and civil liberties. Can these concerns be addressed and how?

How does one measure the efficacy of “America First”? Is this just the 21st century version of the Coolidge Doctrine (the “business of the American people is business”) or does it improve the welfare of American citizens more broadly and in what ways?

Wireless is Winning

Affordability is top mind in an election year. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr tweeted that cell phone plan prices are down roughly 8 percent from their 2023. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for the CPI category “Wireless Telephone Services” show that prices peaked in mid-2023 and have since trended downward. An 8% decline in wireless prices translates to roughly $6 per month in savings for a single line — about $70 to $80 per year — and for a family of four, approximately $20 to $25 per month, or $250 to $300 annually.

While month-to-month changes can fluctuate, the broader pattern shows wireless service prices declining even as other CPI categories (food, housing, and energy) experienced inflationary pressure over the same period. Wireless plans today deliver faster speeds, more data, and broader coverage than anyone imagined a generation ago. What once required a wired connection at home now works almost anywhere.

Several factors help explain the trend. First, spectrum policy has expanded network capacity. The C-band auction initiated during President Trump’s first term — part of the FCC’s 5G Fast initiative — brought significant mid-band spectrum online, increasing competitive capacity across carriers. Second, network investment remains high, with U.S. wireless providers investing roughly $30 billion annually in upgrades and deployment. Third, consolidation and operational efficiencies have allowed carriers to spread the fixed costs of technology upgrades over larger subscriber bases. The high speed an throughput is realized largely through fixed wireless access (FWA)—home internet delivered over wireless networks. Some 15 million households now use wireless, an increasingly faster, cheaper option compared to traditional wired broadband. Americans also benefit from real competition in wireless. Most people are covered by three or more national wireless networks, each offering multiple brands, including lower-cost and prepaid options for seniors, students, families, and budget-conscious users. Dozens of smaller carriers and resellers add even more pressure on prices.

Wireless networks deliver substantially more data at faster speeds than just a few years ago—at flat or declining prices. It’s an unambiguous win underpinning much of America’s $5 trillion internet economy.

AI Policy: Owning the Stack

The 2025 Trump executive orders marked a structural shift from a risk-management framework toward innovation-first strategy which treats AI as a strategic national asset centered on accelerating U.S. technological dominance and reduced regulatory constraints. Key actions include the January 2025 Executive Order 14179 Removing Barriers to Leadership in Artificial Intelligence and the December 2025 EO 14365 Ensuring National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. The end game is to position and enable US tech companies to productize and export the AI stack. By positioning the United States as the primary supplier of high-end AI compute and services, the administration has linked economic growth to geopolitical leverage. First Lady Melania Trump has complements the Presidential AI Challenge with a broader AI education and career empowerment effort aimed at inspiring students and helping them use artificial intelligence to explore future careers and educational opportunities.

Semiconductor Investment: Capital Is Moving

Semiconductor investment reinforces the focus on AI. Reports of major new capital commitments, including large-scale multi-billion dollar investments in the USA, underscore continued momentum in domestic fabrication and supply chain resilience. While elements of semiconductor policy originated before this term, execution, permitting speed, and the overall investment environment determine whether projects move from announcement to production. The current environment emphasizes expanding domestic manufacturing capacity and reducing strategic dependence on foreign supply chains. Large-scale chip investments provide concrete evidence of that shift and strengthen claims that the United States is rebuilding advanced industrial capacity alongside its AI leadership.

Energy + AI: Pay Your Own Way

Energy policy is woven into the technology narrative. AI data centers are increasingly framed as major energy consumers that must be supported by expanded domestic production. By linking AI growth to grid reliability, natural gas expansion, and potential nuclear investment, the administration has integrated digital infrastructure into a broader economic development story. That framing positions advanced computing not as an isolated Silicon Valley phenomenon but as part of a larger push toward domestic production and infrastructure expansion.

If AI hyperscale data centers are expected to pay for the energy and infrastructure they consume, the same principle should apply to broadband networks and FCC’s Universal Service Fund — the largest generators of internet traffic should contribute financially to the systems on which they depend.

A Reset with Big Tech

The most politically notable shift is relational rather than regulatory, after a period of open hostility between Big Tech and Trump. Many platform owners cancelled the President in 2020, but today, they represent some if his biggest donors. The sector’s role in national competitiveness is increasingly emphasized over ideological conflict. This does not imply uniform policy agreement, but suggests a stabilization, if not reconquest, between Washington and America’s most valuable companies.

American firms continue to dominate global AI development, semiconductor design, and cloud infrastructure. U.S. equity markets remain central to technology financing, capital flows, and innovation hubs. Whether these advantages are structural or policy-driven remains debated, but the United States retains leadership in tech industries shaping the next decade.