 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
A wave of new data centers could be given approval to come online before the Texas Legislature passes guardrail rules in 2027. Top Texas leaders, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, want to slap more restrictions on data centers. But because the Texas Legislature isn’t expected to meet again until early next year, the state likely can’t do much to set limits on a new surge of data centers that’s expected to come online by late 2032. The issue is one of procedure — and timing.
The Trump administration wants to make sweeping changes to the way federal grants are awarded and managed. Massachusetts researchers, public officials and scientific societies are pushing back, saying the proposal will harm science, people and the economy.
Free Press hails this state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control the media. WASHINGTON — On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. California Attorney General Rob Bonta led the multistate lawsuit, joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.
“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
The combination of these two massive entertainment and news companies would create a media colossus with CBS, CNN, HBO, Nickelodeon and the Warner Bros. and Paramount film studios — among other major media properties — all under one roof. The deal’s announcement in 2025 spurred widespread protests led by a coalition of First Amendment advocates, unions, consumer-rights groups, and Hollywood actors and directors.
☕ COLD BREW Hi. It's the mascot. Monty's on a beach somewhere with no laptop, which means I've got the keyboard for one week. No news today — just true, slightly unhinged AI trivia that has nothing to do with chatbots, because apparently that's all anyone talks about anymore. Let's fix that. 📰 WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW (Monty: still on holiday. Me: thriving.)
As a follow up to a post on the court decision, Faribault Daily News reports on the Faribault Council’s response… Following the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling citing deficiencies in the environmental study for a proposed data center in Faribault, the City Council requested more information with a deadline of March 31, 2027. In 2024, Archer Datacenters purchased land in Faribault to develop up to 50,000 square feet of data center buildings on 87 acres of land south of 150th Street W and east of Acorn Trail near Met Con. Based on criteria set by the Minnesota Environmental Review, the site would require an environmental assessment worksheet to study the potential environmental impacts based on square footage but not an environmental impact statement, which would be a further, more in-depth study.
This documentary about the billionaires who want to rip up society’s rules in favour of CEOs somehow manages to be more entertaining than terrifying. Although at times it’s a close call. Matt Shea’s documentary is bookended by two stark facts. One is that the wealth of the world’s 12 richest people is equal to that of the poorest 50% of humanity (you can argue about whether 12 is exactly right, but it’s certainly a horrifyingly small number). The other is that in recent US election cycles, the fossil fuel industry has been replaced as the biggest political donor by a new force: cryptocurrency. In an hour that manages to be more entertaining than terrifying despite sailing into very murky waters, Shea explores how a fresh breed of tech billionaires are looking to make a bold new move. He shows that in a traditional western democracy, the principle that citizens all have an equal vote and are all equally beholden to the law is heavily compromised by a tiny minority of rich citizens. These people influence what the electorate votes for, by bankrolling politicians and owning media companies, as well as using their wealth to ensure rules do not properly apply to them. But plutocrats still find this system frustrating, thanks to those pesky elections and that annoying rule of law. What’s next?
Xfinity and Comcast Business services are now available to more than 1,500 homes and businesses in and around Flagler Estates in St. Johns County, FL, including more than 1,100 previously unserved locations.
Paramount’s $80 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery promises a new era for Hollywood—but also leaves the combined media giant with nearly $80 billion in debt. As David Ellison bets on growth, streaming and blockbuster content, analysts say delivering $6 billion in promised synergies will be critical to easing the financial burden. When Paramount PSKY -1.91%decrease;Chief Executive David Ellison unveiled his company’s $81 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery WBD 0.11%increase;he touted a new golden era for Hollywood—one built on scale, technology and a promise to release at least 30 theatrical movies a year. His plan has little margin for error.
When low-income households drop service, it is not because they don’t want it or because the market is rosy. Recently there have been several pieces published that argue, in light of price and quality trends, that broadband service is affordable, and that, whether or not affordability matters, those who do not have service at home simply do not want it. These affordability arguments look at the Federal Communications Commission’s Urban Rate Survey (URS) to claim that broadband prices in real terms have been falling. The “they don’t want service” argument rests on a survey question that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has used for a number of years, which Recon Analytics recently examined in depth.[1] Each argument warrants scrutiny. The more important question, though, is this: Why are we seeing these arguments now?
The League of Minnesota Cities has compiled helpful information for local governments looking at responsibility with AI… As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more common, Minnesota cities are exploring how these technologies can improve efficiency, customer service, and daily operations. From drafting meeting minutes more quickly to generating city-branded graphics and designs, AI offers clear benefits.
Communities blocked $130 billion in data centers in four months. The real constraint on AI isn't chips or models anymore — it's whether the neighborhood will let you plug in. Executive Summary
For two years the AI scaling story has been about silicon and capital: who has the most GPUs, who can raise the most money, who ships the best model. That story is hitting a wall nobody priced in — the local zoning meeting. Across the country, communities are blocking the data centers that AI runs on, and they're winning. The binding constraint on AI is shifting from compute to the physical and social license to build the power that compute requires. Every leader betting their strategy on infinite cheap inference needs to understand why, because it's about to show up in their cloud bill and their siting timelines.
BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — The race is on around the country to ensure everyone has access to broadband internet, and people in North Dakota say our state may be the first one to do it. On Wednesday, Craig Felchle, the chief technology officer for North Dakota’s Information Technology Department, gave state lawmakers a progress report on North Dakota’s BEAD program. BEAD — the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program — was a more than $42 billion idea passed by Congress to increase internet access around the country.
Advocates warned the FCC’s vote to review the program could blow massive holes in their budgets and force service reductions or even closures if new funding sources aren’t found. After the Federal Communications Commission voted to review its E-Rate program, libraries across the country are already concerned at how changes to that program might impact their budgets, services and even operating hours. Commissioners voted 2-1 to examine whether E-Rate is advancing educational outcomes and protecting children’s online safety amid concerns over minors’ screen time. The review is also meant to ensure funds from the program are being spent responsibly and for educational purposes. E-Rate helps pay for discounted services, internet access, equipment and maintenance for schools and libraries.
|
The race to build more data centers in Texas is facing growing pushback. While some communities are approving massive projects, others are moving to restrict new developments over concerns about growth, resources, and local impact.
Stopping US data centers means little for the planet if they simply shift to Global Majority countries, write Vignesh Ramachandran and Inayat Sabhikhi. In the United States, inspiring and steadfast local organizing by communities against data centers has created an incredible moment of leverage against all-powerful tech companies. While hugely consequential, stopping data centers in the US means little for the planet if they simply shift to Global Majority countries. Thanks to the courage of local communities and formations such as the No Desert Data Center Coalition and Memphis Communities Against Pollution, the widespread local and global harms of data centers—such as over-extracting water resources, exacerbating air pollution, and intensifying long-standing environmental inequalities—have come to light. None of these consequences change if the data center is moved from Virginia to Visakhapatnam; but faced with domestic opposition, the US government and tech companies are pitching data center development to Global Majority countries, where governments are rolling out red carpets and favorable regulations, like in the United Arab Emirates. Brazil recently launched a proposal to attract data centers, South Africa just changed policy to put data centers on par with ports, and in India, the government announced further land allotments for Google’s flagship AI Hub data center.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that OpenAI is pulling the plug on its nonstarter browser a mere nine months after launching the feature. In October, OpenAI unveiled an AI browser dubbed Atlas, purportedly designed to help you “understand your world” and “achieve your goals” by putting ChatGPT front and center. A special “agent mode” was meant to book flights or buy groceries online on your behalf without you ever having to lift your finger. “The browser just changed,” OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT boasted at the time, calling it a major step in ChatGPT evolving into an entire AI operating system. But the cracks started to show almost immediately.
WDIO reports… Residents pack forum as questions continue over proposed Hermantown Data Center Residents gathered Thursday evening in Hermantown for a public forum focused on a proposed hyperscale data center development, hearing from experts who raised concerns about energy demands, environmental impacts, school funding claims and long-term economic benefits. The event, hosted by Duluth Indivisible and co-sponsored by the Stop the Hermantown Data Center group, featured a panel of specialists in technology, law, environmental policy, public health and school finance. Organizers said the forum was designed to provide independent information about the project and allow residents to ask questions not addressed during previous public presentations.
“They’re completely driven by antisemitism and socialism,” say a source in the New York Post about deal opponents. Plus, a merger boom, and someone let a squirrel loose in Meta's offices. But today I want to go over the likely coming challenge to the attempted merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, a combination that would put much of Hollywood and media assets such as CNN in the hands of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison. CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are readying a complaint as soon as tomorrow to block the merger. David McCabe in the New York Times added more color, saying the complaint will focus on ‘tentpole movies,’ aka blockbuster films. If this merger challenge is filed, it would kick off the biggest legal fight over corporate power in the Trump era. And I have to say, that a challenge might happen is shockingly good news, and a real testament to the anti-monopoly arguments that have been percolating for years, as well as the organizing savvy of groups like Block the Merger and the thousands of courageous artists who spoke out and risked their careers to do so. Here’s why.
Companies are backing off on their AI spending. Because investors have made such big bets on AI coming to fruition, that’s a big problem.
WASHINGTON, July 10, 2026 – Texas’ Democratic candidate for attorney general says, if elected, he would investigate whether SpaceX got preferential treatment in receiving $109 million in state broadband grants. Nathan Johnson says the state’s subgrant selection process ‘sure looks like’ corruption. The revised federal guidance, released June 2025, encouraged states to consider lower-cost technologies, including low Earth orbit satellite service, alongside fiber in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Johnson alleged that Texas officials directed 99% of available grant funds toward SpaceX, in an interview Friday with the Dallas News, arguing the procurement process “sure looks like” corruption.
Thousands of new fossil-fuel power sources are quietly firing up across the state to power the AI boom, thanks to a regulatory loophole, leaving residents feeling blindsided. Omaira Garcia didn’t realize life on her small ranch in Abilene, Texas, was about to change until clouds of dust—kicked up by a mysterious project next door—began to engulf her home. The Air Force veteran says she found out about OpenAI’s plans to build its flagship Stargate data center directly beside her property only after construction began in the summer of 2024. Today, the site’s natural-gas-powered electrical plant sits roughly 500 yards from her house, the exhaust stacks clearly visible from her kitchen window. “We weren’t given any time to understand what this impact was going to be on us,” the mother of two says through tears. “We’re trapped here.”
In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission moved technology policy forward by opening the full 6 gigahertz (GHz) wireless spectrum band for Wi-Fi use. This gave American consumers and businesses access to faster, more reliable wireless connections. It wasn’t done with much fanfare, though, so most Americans don’t realize the implications. They probably don’t even know what the 6 GHz band is, but it is important. It means that home internet works better and office networks can handle more devices.
OPINION — Nexstar Media Group’s pending $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, a deal that would merge the nation’s largest and third-largest local-television station owners, has the support of President Trump and the approval of his Federal Communications Commission. However, it is under fire from an unusually diverse collection of opponents.
At the end of May 2026, AT&T announced that the recent FCC decisions allows it to ‘shut off the copper’ of basic phone customers but also businesses, and filed additional requests for millions and millions of business, data, alarm circuits, DSL and all other copper wires, like small business or small gov. agencies, any customer that has a copper-wire based service — even U-verse, (a copper-to-the-home service for broadband, and cable TV). This has been going on for awhile and we summarize these filings and some implications at the end of this story. But the thing is — the chart above shows that the FCC claimed only 5% of one provider’s lines were copper, and never revealed or added to this that 70–90% of the lines, which would include all of these business copper lines, were missing in this accounting. Worse, as we discuss, FCC Carr’s statement quoting the 5% number was actually wrong, as the AT&T statement was only for residential customers. Carr’s statement would indicate all copper lines, which is not true. In other words, we will lay out how all of the FCC’s proceedings have been based on understating the number of lines to appear that there were only a few people impacted, that there is no state telecommunication utility left, and that the other wires are all going to be reclassified as ‘IP’ based, with no obligations or telecom specifications, such as quality of service. No matter; Cities and States therefore have no jurisdiction as the wires are not ‘common carrier’ but are an “Information service”. All this matters now: AT&T has taken the state of California to court to shut off the copper wires, and get rid of the obligation to offer service within the AT&T-California (formerly Pacific Bell) territory, claiming that a recent series of FCC proceedings in March 2026, gives AT&T new rights to take these actions. AT&T has also asked the FCC to enforce the new law and compel California to comply.
|
