The privacy changes web browsers will be required to make under a new California law could set the de facto standard for the entire country, changing how Americans control their data when using the internet, according to experts.

Legal analysts are questioning the recent assertion by the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that the agency can legally withhold federal broadband deployment funds from states that have laws enforcing net neutrality or that have enacted affordable broadband legislation. Last week in speaking before the conservative Hudson Institute, NTIA administrator Arielle Roth offered remarks that have legal observers scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Financials bloomed for the hyperscalers after recent system failures. Is it time to treat them like carriers?

In the view of analyst John Strand, this position of privilege comes from a lack of accountability for the hyperscalers when systems go awry. According to a recent Strand Consult report, AWS escapes the kinds of statutory obligations telecoms have, such as universal service contributions, minimum backup and reliability rules, and public filing of tariffs.

New study shows how fiber networks protect lives and keep communities connected before, during, and after disasters 

Bolton presented a view on the major technology innovation tipping points that will be fueled by critical fiber optic infrastructure. During his discussion, he provided an overview on the progress of the fiber build out in the U.S., including an update on the $42.45B government subsidy funding...

Local governments must be empowered in communications infrastructure policy to ensure faster disaster recovery. Retry,

Hurricane Melissa recently slammed into Jamaica as a Category 5 storm – the strongest to hit the island in nearly 200 years. While the U.S. has been spared this time, Melissa’s rapid intensification is a stark warning. As ocean temperatures rise, powerful storms are forming faster and hitting harder. It’s not hard to imagine a hurricane of this scale making U.S. landfall in the near future. 

When that day comes, our ability to recover will depend on more than just rebuilding homes and restoring power. It will hinge on how quickly we can reconnect. Connectivity has become a lifeline. Communications networks are essential to every part of emergency response – issuing evacuation orders, coordinating first responders, updating the public, and reuniting displaced families.

Local governments bear a great responsibility for keeping communities safe during times of disasters. Nevertheless, local governments are too often left out of policy conversations around the critical infrastructure that makes recovery possible. 

We can fix that. With smarter policies and better planning, we can ensure faster recovery and stronger resilience in the face of future disasters.

In two decades, the app has grown from a user-generated circus into the most powerful platform on earth. CEO Neal Mohan on his $100 billion vision for YouTube’s future and the disruption it’s left in its wake.

Geostationary satellite operator EchoStar is selling another batch of radio frequencies to help improve SpaceX’s direct-to-cell services in the United States, in return for $2.6 billion worth of the company’s stock.

DigitalC, the nonprofit selected by the City of Cleveland to deliver citywide broadband access for $18 per month, presented its

third-quarter progress report to Cleveland City Council's Utilities Committee on October 30, highlighting growth, transparency, and national recognition for what is now known as "The Cleveland Model."

About two years into Cleveland's citywide broadband initiative, DigitalC has connected nearly 7,000 households and brought high-speed home internet to over 17,000 residents across the city—representing 85% of its 2025 goal of 4,700 new connections.

Capozzi said his team in the Arizona State Broadband Office has been working on the Permit Finder for about a year and a half.

Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) have introduced a new bill that would fund USDA ReConnect grants with $650 million annually through 2030. It seems probable that, if passed, this would be the only federal grant program for the foreseeable future. The requirements listed in the bill are pretty basic and reminiscent of…

Policy analyst Bartlett Cleland says the Charter-Broadcom 10 Gbps Demo at SCTE TechExpo25 Stays a Cool Science Project if Licensed Carriers Can Hog the Airwaves.

The Trump FCC has announced that it's taking formal steps to weaken or eliminate the rules as part of the agency’s broad, frontal assault on consumer protections. On October 30, the The Trump FCC under Brendan Carr voted in favor of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to eliminate or weaken the rules; especially requirements that ISPs transparently detail itemized fees buried in their advertised prices.

Superior, Wisconsin’s community-owned open access fiber network has gone live in its first two deployment neighborhoods, as the city works toward providing affordable next-generation fiber access to the city’s long under-served community of 26,000. The city’s open access network means that multiple broadband providers can compete over the same shared infrastructure and so far two independent ISPs are offering retail service to residents.

A spooky convergence is happening in media. Everything that is not already television is turning into television. Three examples:

1.

You learn a lot about a company when its back is against the wall. This summer, we learned something important about Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In an antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission, Meta filed a legal brief on August 6, in which it made a startling claim. Meta cannot possibly be a social media monopoly, Meta said, because it is not really a social media company.

Only a small share of time spent on its social-networking platforms is truly “social” networking—that is, time spent checking in with friends and family. More than 80 percent of time spent on Facebook and more than 90 percent of time spent on Instagram is spent watching videos, the company reported. Most of that time is spent watching content from creators whom the user does not know. From the FTC filing:

"Today, only a fraction of time spent on Meta’s services—7% on Instagram, 17% on Facebook—involves consuming content from online “friends” (“friend sharing”). A majority of time spent on both apps is watching videos, increasingly short-form videos that are “unconnected”—i.e., not from a friend or followed account—and recommended by AI-powered algorithms Meta developed as a direct competitive response to TikTok’s rise, which stalled Meta’s growth."

Social media has evolved from text to photo to video to streams of text, photo, and video, and finally, it seems to have reached a kind of settled end state, in which TikTok and Meta are trying to become the same thing: a screen showing hours and hours of video made by people we don’t know. Social media has turned into television.

US labor market in downward spiral with record job cuts in October 2025. Tech sector hit hardest, AI adoption driving layoffs. Dems blame Trump's policies.

Kansas broadband development official outlines next steps as Kansas nears BEAD deployment.

Castanet 5G intends to team with low-power TV stations on a national 5G Broadcast network that coexists with – rather than competes with – ATSC 3.0.

Over the past decade, the mobile wireless  industry has promoted 5G as a transformative  technology—one that will boost the U.S.  economy by over $1 trillion and create millions of  jobs. They described 5G not just as a faster  internet connection, but as a technology that will  transform everything affecting the average  American’s life—from healthcare and  transportation to manufacturing and education. The industry’s claims have shaped public policy  debates, influencing decisions about spectrum  allocation, infrastructure investments, and  regulatory priorities.

But once 5G began to roll out, the mobile wireless  industry’s big promises started to face serious  questions. Many users noticed little difference  between 5G and the previous generation (4G).  Some media outlets and tech experts called 5G an  “overhyped technology bust.” And as talk of 6G  begins to emerge, it’s worth asking: Has 5G  really delivered the massive economic benefits  we were promised?