In a first-of-its-kind study, executives were asked probing questions about their AI engagement.

When asked about where they stand within the AI learning curve, over half of respondents feel they are behind.

Smaller providers report feeling behind more often. Sixty-six percent of providers with fewer than 10,000 subscribers, compared to 48% of those with 10,000 or more, indicated a perceived lag.

Marketing respondents are somewhat more likely (14%) to believe they are ahead in their roles compared to the overall average of 8%. This isn’t surprising, considering that marketing functions currently have the most practical AI applications, such as content generation, persona analysis, and customer sentiment analysis. Many providers have also achieved early successes in these areas.

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 Broadband State of AI study?