WASHINGTON, July 30, 2026 – The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is putting unprecedented pressure on U.S. communications networks, telecommunications leaders told a Senate panel Thursday. Bob Everson, chief architect for Cisco's provider mobility team, testified that artificial intelligence is not simply adding traffic to networks but changing its fundamental shape. “AI workloads are not like traditional web traffic: they will change traffic shape, symmetry, duration, and criticality,” Everson said in testimony . “AI workloads are also twice as long in duration and significantly more upstream-heavy due to large, context-rich prompts.” The Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act would set enforceable deadlines for railroads to respond to and schedule fiber crossing requests.