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The internet wasn’t born whole—it came together from parts. Most know of ARPANET, the internet’s most famous precursor, but it was always limited strictly to government use. It was NSFNET that brought many networks together, and the internet that we use today is almost NSFNET itself. Almost, but not quite: in 1995, the government that had raised the internet from its infancy gave it a firm shove out the door. Call it a graduation, or a coming of age. I think of it as the internet getting its first real job.
Stephen Colbert, the CBS late-night talk show host, was unequivocal in his assessment of Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. “I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles,” he said. “It’s a big fat bribe.” Jon Stewart of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” followed suit, calling the settlement “shameful.” Both hosts, who work for Paramount Global. Since this article is behind a paywall, I asked AI Overview to explain: The phrase "Trump transaction tax" isn't a formally established tax law, but rather a descriptive term used by some to describe certain actions and their perceived implications during Donald Trump's presidency and a potential second term. In a broader sense, there are two primary contexts in which the term "Trump transaction tax" might be used: - Tariffs as a "Tax" on Transactions: Trump has proposed and implemented tariffs on goods imported into the United States. These tariffs are essentially taxes on these transactions, raising the cost of imported goods for businesses and potentially for consumers. The Tax Foundation estimates that Trump's tariffs, both imposed and threatened, could reduce long-run US GDP and have a significant impact on revenue and trade.
- A "Cost for Approval" in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): Some analysts and media outlets have used the term "Trump transaction tax" to refer to the cost or challenges faced by companies seeking regulatory approval for mergers and acquisitions, particularly within the media industry, during Trump's presidency. This "tax" is viewed as a cost incurred for obtaining a transaction approval outside of the standard competition or public-interest analysis, potentially involving dealing with lawsuits or other actions seen as politically motivated.
In these contexts, the "Trump transaction tax" is not a specific, formally enacted tax but rather a colloquial term highlighting the potential impact of tariffs and the perceived political influence on regulatory approvals of business transactions during the Trump era.
Experts say cancellation of Digital Equity Act funding threatens to entrench the digital divide just as AI ushers in a disruptive era of technological change.
The Trump administration approved the sale of CBS' parent company Paramount to Skydance. Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni joins Katy Tur to explain more on the details of this $8 billion merger and to react to "South Park" making fun of Trump and Paramount.
Donald Trump has filed all kinds of misguided lawsuits in recent years, but the president’s $20 billion civil suit against Paramount, because he didn’t like the way “60 Minutes” edited its interview with Kamala Harris, was especially silly. Common sense suggested the company’s lawyers would’ve shrugged with indifference, waiting for Trump’s conspiratorial nonsense to get thrown out of court. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million to settle the baseless case, while acknowledging no wrongdoing, with the money to be allocated to Trump’s future presidential library. Naturally, many observers wondered why in the world the company would agree to do this, given that the president’s civil suit was impossible to take seriously. It wasn’t long before many questioned whether the settlement was related to Paramount wanting the Trump administration to approve an unrelated merger deal. Indeed, several Democratic members of Congress characterized the settlement as a “bribe” — a word CBS’ Stephen Colbert used on the air, just days before the network announced the popular “Late Show” host’s cancellation. (In a statement last week, Paramount and CBS executives said the cancellation “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”) That was last week. This week, NBC News reported:
CenturyLink told the FCC recently that it is defaulting on 41,000 RDOF locations spread across eight states and 153 Census block groups. That’s a big portion of the 77,000 locations that the company won in the RDOF reverse auction. CenturyLink originally was awarded $262.3 million in subsidies, spread over ten years. There are a number…
Sarah Morris is currently Managing Director at Waxman Strategies where she is building a technology practice. Waxman is a values-driven consulting firm. Sarah Morris was in the thick of BEAD in the Department of Commerce in 2024. Serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary makes her a great source to talk about the June 6 BEAD guidance, what it means, and how states can still proceed with a program that was designed to be a fiber-first, futureproof solution for rural America. She was asked to testify before the House Energy and Commerce on March 6th, when she was peppered with questions about why BEAD ‘had not connected a single home’ and how to proceed. Click headline to read the interview--
Last week, a California Assemblymember who had sponsored legislation for a broadband affordability law abruptly withdrew the legislation. But what really killed the broadband affordability bill in California? Was it opposition to the proposed legislation from within the state or pressure from the Trump administration? The Bill Was Advancing Until…
Several Lake County Board members recently returned from the National Association of Counties Annual Conference in Philadelphia, where they participated in important policy discussions and helped advance county priorities on the national stage. “NACo brings counties from across the country together to share ideas, elevate local issues and drive change at the federal level,” Sandy Hart, Lake County Board chair, said in the release. “Speaking with one voice helps ensure that the needs of our communities are clearly heard in national discussions.” Thousands of county leaders from across the U.S. were engage in policy discussions and adopted resolutions that will guide NACo’s federal advocacy efforts for the coming year, according to a news release. High-speed internet infrastructure: A resolution urging federal support and implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program to expand broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas.
Governor Hochul announced the re-release of the ConnectALL Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant Request for Applications (RFA), committing over $5 million in State funding to continue New York's digital equity grantmaking after federal funding was terminated by the Trump administration in May 2025.
As the lone member of the Federal Communications Commission who was appointed by a Democratic president, Anna M. Gomez always knew she would have little official influence over the impending merger of Skydance Media and CBS parent company Paramount. But for weeks before the deal was approved Thursday by a 2-1 vote, with her as the sole dissenter, she has used her bully pulpit to express concerns about the merger and some of the concessions Skydance has made to win the approval of the FCC and its chairman, Brendan Carr, an appointee of President Donald Trump who has vowed to take action against what he says is bias in media.
The $8 billion deal's green light comes after CBS reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over his lawsuit against "60 Minutes"
As if low-orbit space isn’t already getting over-crowded, there is a startup that may send huge numbers of additional satellites into orbit. The California company is Spinlaunch. Spinlaunch plans to shoot microsatellites into orbit using what they call a centrifugal cannon (pictured to the right). The cannon spins and accelerates a small rocket that will…
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FCC's new rules on pole attachments aim to promote fast, efficient, and ubiquitous deployment of broadband facilities
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 Thursday to give its bureaus explicit authority to use the direct final rulemaking process to eliminate regulations. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr touted the passage of the item, though his initial statement only focused on the 11 regulations the FCC was eliminating this month as part of the order, and did not mention the delegated authority to the bureaus.
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone discussed their controversial season 27 premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, revealing a behind-the-scenes battle with network executives over airing a less-than-flattering depiction of President Donald Trump’s penis during Wednesday’s episode. The duo behind the long-running Comedy Central series spoke alongside a panel of other adult cartoon creators at the event, including “Beavis and Butt-Head” creator, Mike Judge, and “Digman!” co-creator, Andy Samberg. When asked if they had been following the reaction to their season 27 premiere by the panel’s moderator, Josh Horowitz, Parker jokingly replied, “We’re terribly sorry.” As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, that’s about as far as the creators went in responding to the controversy stirred by the episode, although Stone did address Trump more directly later in the discussion when the duo were asked about how they originally met.
Several conservative organizations asked the Federal Communications Commission last week to end its investigation into CBS over a seemingly baseless complaint that the network wrongly altered an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during last year’s presidential campaign. As Reuters reported Thursday: "The Center for Individual Freedom, Americans for Tax Reform, Taxpayers Protection Alliance and other groups called on FCC Chair Brendan Carr to end the investigation into the unit of Paramount Global, saying an “adverse ruling against CBS would constitute regulatory overreach and advance precedent that can be weaponized by future FCCs.” But the message was clear: These groups are fearful of the Trump administration taking action against CBS in this case (perhaps because they, too, see the baselessness in it) and don’t want conservative media outlets to be on the receiving end of such treatment if and when the executive branch is controlled by the Democratic Party again. Carr, for the record, doesn’t appear to share their worries. In a statement to Reuters, he vowed to continue this illiberal stunt.
Christina Chapman, a 50-year-old Arizona woman, has just been sentenced to 102 months in prison for helping North Korean hackers steal US identities in order to get "remote" IT jobs with more than 300 American companies, including Nike. The scheme funneled millions of dollars to the North Korean state. Why did Chapman do it?
I know it's been a while since we published the last edition of this newsletter, but for a good reason! Over the past few months, I've had the opportunity to work with some really great companies on their annual strategic planning initiatives—something I’m absolutely passionate about. Helping broadband providers navigate industry disruption and uncertainty so they can achieve their goals requires intentionality: knowing where you’re headed, the actions you’ll take to get there, and—just as importantly—what you’re choosing not to do. As I’ve prepared for these sessions, I’ve been analyzing broader industry trends and asking: what do these shifts mean for the providers I work with? One particular trend keeps coming up repeatedly—something consistent enough across sources and conversations that I thought it was worth sharing with all of you. A New Dynamic: Slowing Growth in Network Consumption Click headline to read more--
The next round of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is upon us. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) says that the 56 states and territories have all been approved to move to the BEAD “Benefit of the Bargain” round of the subgrantee selection. The NTIA issued new guidelines for the $42.5 billion BEAD program in June. Part of the process was for states and territories to correct their BEAD initial proposals to comply with the rules based on the new set of priorities. All of the revised initial proposals have been received and approved, according to the NTIA. The new process aims to ensure the greatest possible impact from investments. It eliminates the preference for fiber included in the original BEAD guidelines and what the press release calls “extralegal, burdensome requirements.” In the guidelines released early last month, the NTIA directed applicants to choose the lowest cost applicant in most cases.
The NTIA's BEAD program has been overhauled to potentially shift billions from fiber networks to unlicensed fixed wireless, but a move by Congress to auction off the spectrum needed for those networks puts their future at risk.
National security leaders rarely get to choose what to care about and how much to care about it. They are more often subjects of circumstances beyond their control. The September 11 attacks reversed the George W. Bush administration’s plan to reduce the United States’ global commitments and responsibilities. Revolutions across the Arab world pushed President Barack Obama back into the Middle East just as he was trying to pull the United States out. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended the Biden administration’s goal of establishing “stable and predictable” relations with Moscow so that it could focus on strategic competition with China. Policymakers could foresee many of the underlying forces and trends driving these agenda-shaping events. Yet for the most part, they failed to plan for the most challenging manifestations of where these forces would lead. They had to scramble to reconceptualize and recalibrate their strategies to respond to unfolding events. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence—and the possible emergence of artificial general intelligence—promises to present policymakers with even greater disruption.
Starlink users reported they couldn’t connect to SpaceX’s satellite internet service for a few hours on Thursday afternoon before service was eventually restored. Widespread Starlink outages, like the ones we reported on in 2022 and 2023, have been rare, and this appears to be the first one in 2025. The outage began around 3:15PM ET or so, with users receiving error messages saying there is “no healthy upstream.” Starlink posted a message on X at 4:05PM ET: “Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution. We appreciate your patience, we’ll share an update once this issue is resolved.” At 6:23PM ET, Starlink engineering VP Michael Nicolls followed that up with a message saying that after a 2.5-hour outage, the network has “mostly recovered.” “The outage was due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network,” writes Nicolls, without going into specific detail.
Spectrum has expanded its Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 4,700 homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved addresses in 14 communities across Wexford County, Michigan.
The FCC has launched a rulemaking focused on accelerating the retirement of aging copper networks and freeing up billions for new fiber networks. #pressrelease
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