According to a new study of over 130 rural broadband providers, 80% do not provide any formal Artificial Intelligence training for their employees. Is this a bad thing?

AI tools change weekly, structured curricula go stale fast, and many providers do not have a designated AI trainer. When employees experiment with AI tools, they gain practical experience without committing to unproven training methods in a fast-evolving technology.

While only 20% of rural BSPs offer formal AI training, 78% encourage their staff to experiment independently, making self-education the primary method of application.

The significant rise in the use of AI has created a pressing need to better understand how broadband service providers interact with this technology, prompting the creation of this study report. The 2026 data was collected by the research team at Telecompetitor and sponsored by Innovative Systems.

Would you like an executive summary of the 2026 Rural AI Study Report?