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Flipping either one or both chambers of Congress could give Democrats enough leverage to force fair votes on privacy reform, but ending warrantless surveillance remains an uphill battle.
A few weeks ago, I predicted that the AI industry would start pushing the concept of “loops” — effectively LLMs prompting LLMs and being left to their own, token-intensive devices — as a desperate attempt to get users to burn more tokens, I imagine to create more revenue. Now Jensen Huang and Claude Code chief Boris Cherny have both, within 24 hours of each other, intimated that the age of prompting models is over, as you’d just be “handling loops,” which conveniently also means burning more tokens. It’s unclear what benefits a loop might have, but at a conference where the first question was mysteriously about “whether loops were for real,” Cherny was emphatic that they were, and attempted to explain why:
The OMB proposed rewrite of 2 CFR Part 200, read alongside NTIA's documented enforcement posture and the impoundment strategy Russell Vought has pursued across multiple federal programs, describes a coherent regulatory sequence whose cumulative effect would make BEAD's continued implementation administratively and legally untenable. In May 2026, the Office of Management and Budget published a 412-page proposed revision to 2 CFR Part 200, the federal regulation that governs how every federal grant program in the United States is administered. Known as the Uniform Guidance, this regulation sets the rules for how federal funds flow from agencies to states, from states to subgrantees, and from subgrantees to the communities they serve. The proposed revision is a major overhaul of these rules, and its comment period closes July 13, 2026.
Why do so many Democrats still want to give Donald Trump unchecked surveillance powers? Most Americans have probably never heard of Section 702. It’s part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which broadly authorizes the warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens located outside of the United States. Except Section 702 has also been used as a “back door” to spy on people inside the United States — from journalists and protesters to sitting members of Congress. Critics from across the political spectrum say the government has long abused the authority to conduct warrantless surveillance, violating our constitutional rights.
Key Takeaways -
High-speed broadband enables core telehealth applications and higher broadband adoption rates are directly associated with greater telehealth utilization. -
Telehealth use has many benefits for both patients and providers such as cost savings, timelier care and making it easier for clinics to retain staff. -
Key barriers to telehealth adoption remain, such as physical and economic barriers to broadband deployment, digital skills gaps and technical healthcare issues such as reimbursement and licensing. -
States are innovating with legislation to expand telehealth adoption, both in terms of broadband access and healthcare reforms.
Associate Professor Colin Rhinesmith has authored a new book examining how community coalitions address digital inequality and strengthen democracy. Rhinesmith's Digital Equity Ecosystems: How Community Coalitions Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Democracy, published by University of California Press, introduces the concept of "digital equity ecosystems" to describe how community coalitions work to alleviate technological inequity and social injustice.
Trump’s rewrite of rural broadband rules helped Musk steer public money toward Starlink to strengthen SpaceX and screw rural Americans.
When surveyed about AI, fear barely varies by age or income. The real split is hope and the hardening among Americans who have never tried AI.
Vodafone IoT CEO Erik Brenneis tells Light Reading that it will launch satellite connectivity from Iridium and Skylo this year to expand global coverage.
BEAD was meant to expand access to high-quality broadband, but under Trump, it’s been diverted to tech moguls like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. At 9PM ET on the night of May 28th, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket sat on the launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The craft was in the middle of a hot-fire test awaiting the arrival of Amazon Leo satellites, the first of 24 batches to be shuttled into low Earth orbit for an ambitious satellite internet venture. The effort was backed by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, leveraging a Biden-era law meant to address America’s digital divide. But before the satellites even reached the launch site, Jeff Bezos’ rocket exploded into a massive fireball, its wreckage left smoldering on the ground. It was an unintentionally perfect metaphor for a once-in-a-generation attempt to fix the creaky US broadband system, now a flaming mess melting into a slush fund for billionaires. Bezos — along with newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk — has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), a $42.45 billion broadband expansion program passed as part of President Joe Biden’s 2021 “Build Back Better” initiative. BEAD was intended to give long-underserved communities billions of dollars for high-quality, future-proof fiber networks.
The National Tribal Telecommunications Association hosted the 2026 Tribal Broadband Midwest Summit in Minnesota. It was fun to hear the stories from Minnesota and learn from what’s happening in other areas, such as Arizona. It’s clear to see that data center (emphasis on micro-data centers!) and AI are hot topics. Funding, and what’s happening with BEAD and other federal funding, is also a hot topic, although there are federal funds that are available exclusively to tribal areas. Shared barriers included questions about what may happen with federal funding, inflation and balancing POTS (landlines) with LEO (satellites).
Linda Hardesty of Fierce Network recently quoted Verizon’s new CEO Dan Shulman as saying that the company is looking at market segmentation. He said that instead of pricing for a few market segments that Verizon might be considering hundreds of thousands of segments. Hardesty said this stunned her, because nobody has ever talked seriously about market segmentation to that extent before. What Verizon is thinking about doing is to develop multitudes of products and prices to fit small market niches, or even individuals.
As tech giants hunt for massive amounts of clean electricity, PNNL, Nvidia and Fervo Energy are partnering to develop a new public tool that aims to eliminate the guesswork of drilling into the Earth's molten depths.
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Oregon’s rural internet expansion plans through the BEAD program have hit a roadblock this week as several ISPs decline awards. June 24, 2024 — Oregon is one step closer to expanding high-speed internet statewide, though its massive digital rollout has hit a minor speed bump. On Tuesday, June 23, the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) announced that while most selected providers accepted their funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, several declined. Sixteen providers—including Comcast, Starlink, and various local co-ops—accepted their awards to bring reliable connectivity to thousands of underserved households and businesses. The OBO has already issued contracts to three providers and is working to finalize all remaining agreements by the federal deadline of September 18, 2026.
June 23, 2026 — A coalition of major trade associations—including tech and telecom leaders like NCTA, ACA Connects, NTCA, and the Telecommunications Industry Association, alongside healthcare technology groups MDMA and AdvaMed, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and retail giants via the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Retail Federation—has raised alarms over an emerging memory chip shortage they say threatens to disrupt supply chains and drive-up costs across multiple sectors.
NLC’s Federal Action Agenda is guided by three core principles: Strengthen the Federal-Local Partnership, Avoid Unfunded Mandates and Safeguard Local Authority. Among our specific advocacy priorities, the very first is “Simplify Federal Requirements for Communities.” Key Takeaways - OMB’s proposed overhaul of federal grant rules would affect nearly every form of federal funding that cities, towns and villages receive, with changes slated to take effect October 1, 2026.
- Several provisions would increase administrative burdens on municipalities, introduce new compliance requirements, and allow grants to be terminated mid-award.
- Other provisions could make it easier for municipalities to apply for grants, including plain language requirements and standardized application processes.
- NLC is urging members to submit comments to OMB before the July 13 deadline and has resources available to help.
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (WSBT) —A major underwater internet connection between Chicago and Benton Harbor's Jean Klock Park is moving forward. Our partners at WSJM Radio report Benton Harbor City Commissioners approved a 75 year ground lease to the broadband company Peninsula Fiber Network. PFN is using federal funds to run the internet connection.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan MAP for Broadband Funding Act last Thursday, introduced by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), to improve oversight of the FCC’s Broadband Funding Map. The legislation aims to ensure federal broadband funding is accurately tracked and directed to communities most in need while preventing duplicate spending. It requires the FCC to review the map’s accuracy and usability and directs the Government Accountability Office to assess whether federal agencies are reporting broadband funding data correctly.
The FCC issued a Public Notice with the longest title I can remember: Wireline Competition Bureau Reminds Reverse-preemption States of Obligation to Effectively Regulate Pole Attachments and Seeks Comment on Need for Changes to the Commission’s Certification Rules to Ensure Effective State Pole Attachment Regulation. The Public Notice asks for comments on the effectiveness of regulations in States that have chosen to regulate pole attachments, meaning rules that regulate how telcos and others get access to poles that are in the public right-of-way. Comments are due on the Public Notice by July 13, 2026. States were given the right to regulate pole attachments in Section 224 of the 1934 Communications Act. Twenty-three States have elected to regulate poles over the years, and the FCC has created regulations for the States that have not done so. In one of the oddities of regulatory language, States that have elected to regulate pole attachments are said to have “reverse-preempted” the federal pole attachment rules.
American households still find themselves in a financial crunch when it comes to the cost of housing, healthy food, healthcare, and more. But there is at least one major household expense moving in…
US cable operators and telcos are all leaning hard into convergence, but cable holds key cost and footprint advantages, says MoffettNathanson.
London, UK (23 June 2026) – Data centres, the infrastructure powering the global digital economy, are being built in cities worldwide at unprecedented speed. In many cases, residents fear that this rapid growth risks pushing up energy costs, straining water supplies and electricity grids and adding more urban heat to neighbourhoods.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- City officials, AT&T and JobsOhio will gather Tuesday afternoon to announce the near completion of a public-private partnership aimed at expanding high-speed Internet access in the city. The event, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the East Cleveland Public Library, will mark the launch of AT&T Fiber service in East Cleveland, and include the donation of 50 refurbished laptops to residents who completed digital literacy courses through the library.
Street Insider reports… Nextlink Internet has expanded its agreement with Aviat Networks (NASDAQ: AVNW) to deploy microwave, E-Band, and multi-band wireless transport systems across Nextlink's 12-state service area, according to a press release from Aviat Networks. The deployment is tied to Nextlink's participation in the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, for which the company has secured more than $180 million in funding. Nextlink has also previously received $429.2 million through the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The company recently activated what it described as the first wireless tower funded under the BEAD program.
Big Tech is throwing big money into data center buildouts. As national opposition to the facilities grows, some workers are beginning to question whether it’s worth it.
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Scoop.it!
