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Regulatory questions are already rising about Netflix's deal to combine its business with WBD's streaming service HBO Max and film studio Warner Bros.
- Telesat’s new LEO business is called Telesat Lightspeed
- It will provide wholesale LEO capacity to enterprises and government clients
- The company sees the writing on the wall, that enterprises are going to demand low-latency LEO satellite services to replace GEO services
While Starlink and Amazon Leo capture all the headlines related to low-Earth orbit satellite, another company is making moves in the LEO space. Canada-based Telesat, a longtime geosynchronous (GEO) satellite operator, is preparing to launch its own LEO constellation because it anticipates that its enterprise customers are going to demand the benefits of LEO. It’s time for GEO operators to get into LEO or risk their own survival.
Environmental and economic justice advocates are urgently calling on Congress to stop the Trump administration's reckless push for massive AI data centers, despite overwhelming local opposition. Will we stand by as communities suffer skyrocketing electricity costs, job losses, and environmental devastation?
- Harmonic agreed to sell its video biz to MediaKind for $145M
- It plans to ramp its broadband focus as BEAD and DOCSIS 4.0 rollouts pick up, said Dell’Oro’s Jeff Heynen
- Harmonic could use the extra cash for potential M&A, he added
Harmonic is going all-in on broadband, having decided to part ways with its video business. The vendor agreed to sell the unit for $145 million to streaming technology company MediaKind. The reason why comes down to focus.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing on December 2 to discuss a package of 19 bills, dubbed “Legislative Solutions to Protect Children and Teens Online” (“the Kids Package”). Some of these bills have been making their rounds for years and may be familiar to those even outside the tech policy world – namely the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) or the Children’s Online Protection Act (known as COPPA 2.0). Others are newer attempts to address very real harms kids face online, including concerns around AI chatbots. The political pressure to act is immense, with nearly every week bringing another devastating story of a child harmed after using an online platform – yet few new federal laws have passed to regulate these platforms.
The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion is at the forefront of coordinating broadband deployment efforts in New Mexico. Established in 2021 by key legislation, including the Broadband Access and Expansion Act (Read Senate Bill 93) and the Connect New Mexico Act (Read House Bill 10), our office works closely with various stakeholders to ensure efficient and effective broadband expansion.
As part of our mission, OBAE collaborates with the Connect New Mexico Council and oversees the Connect New Mexico Fund, which received significant appropriations totaling $100 million (Read Senate Bill 377).
Through these legislative mandates and strategic partnerships, OBAE is dedicated to driving equitable broadband solutions, bridging the digital divide, and enhancing connectivity for all New Mexicans. Click the button below to learn more about our initiatives and how we're working to create a more connected and equitable future for our state.
A new policy guide from the nonprofit Public Citizen is intended to support the public sector with concrete recommendations on transparent data center projects that are respectful to residents.
Zuckerman, who used to run the stalkerware apps SpyFone and SpyTrac, claimed the ban is hurting his unrelated business.
Digital Colonialism, a series co-produced by NPQ and MediaJustice, explores how the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers is reshaping communities across the United States. Centering stories from across the country, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia, the series amplifies the voices of organizers, community leaders, and residents sounding the alarm on environmental and public health risks related to data centers. By examining gaps in policy, community resistance, and hard-won victories, Digital Colonialism maps out what’s at stake—and what a just path forward could look like.
Their minority contracting programs and others are under federal attack, and the consequences reach into the tens of billions of dollars. The souls of our communities should not be for sale.
Affinity Partners, the private equity firm led by Jared Kushner, is part of Paramount's hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, according to a regulatory filing. Why it matters: Paramount is telling WBD shareholders that it has a smoother path to regulatory approval than does Netflix, and Kushner's involvement only strengthens that case. - Paramount is led by David Ellison, whose billionaire father Larry is a major supporter of President Trump.
Zoom in: Affinity Partners was not mentioned in Paramount's press release on Monday morning about its $108 billion bid, nor were participating sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
Gov. Whitmer joined the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Michigan High Speed Internet Office (MIHI) in celebrating Michigan’s receipt of $920 million in federal funds to administer the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and continue expanding high-speed internet access statewide -- the single largest investment in high-speed internet infrastructure in Michigan and the nation’s history. The private sector will contribute $550 million in matching funds, bringing the total upcoming investment in Michigan’s high-speed internet infrastructure to $1.47 billion.
The long-sought program could ease cost and climate risks — especially if it lets renewable energy secured by tech giants avert a big buildout of gas…
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Today's AI frenzy fuels a capital expenditure bubble of historic proportions. While mega-cap tech giants possess the balance sheets to survive a contraction, the real pain awaits the physical economy that is currently overbuilding the single-use "islands of Capex" serving this boom: hyperscaler data
"The correct option is neither Paramount nor Netflix buy Warner," said one antitrust advocate.
- AT&T joined its peers in formally ending DEI programs and roles
- It already started dialing back DEI earlier this year
- AT&T still needs FCC approval for its EchoStar and Lumen deals
Another operator bites the dust on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as AT&T joined Verizon and T-Mobile in formally ending its DEI-related policies. In a letter dated December 1 to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), AT&T stated it “does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI,” removed workforce DEI training as well as any DEI references from its internal and external messaging. Further, the company said it won’t use hiring quotas based on race, sexual orientation “or any other protected characteristic.”
In 2025, one of the nation’s most ambitious attempts to close the digital divide collapsed. The Trump administration cancelled every pending grant under the Digital Equity Act, a $2.75 billion program Congress funded as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 to ensure Americans could not only access broadband infrastructure but also afford it, learn to use it, and participate fully in an increasingly digital society.
The Evers administration announced this week that Wisconsin was awarded more than $1 billion dollars in federal funding for broadband internet projects in the state. The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The state reworked its proposal for the funds earlier this year after the Trump administration ordered states to follow new rules in their applications, which included being technology-neutral when considering project bids. About 11 percent of Wisconsin lacks access to high-speed internet, according to a 2025 report by the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access.
This Free Press report examines the Trump administration’s hostile relationship with dissent and free expression in 2025. It analyzes how Trump and his political enablers have sought to undermine and chill the most basic freedoms protected by the First Amendment.
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved the Kansas Office of Broadband Development’s (KOBD) $166.6 million final proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The approval represents a significant milestone toward delivering high-speed internet access to the 26,673 eligible households and businesses across Kansas. The NTIA’s approval of Kansas’ proposal brings our state one step closer to connecting every home, farm, business, and community with access to reliable internet,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This historic investment will yield essential infrastructure, bringing 21st century tools and broadband opportunities to connect all parts of Kansas in the digital era.”
Phreeli is something we haven’t seen before – it’s a mobile carrier that’s so anonymous you don’t even need to give it your name. Surprisingly, that level of anonymity is legal for phone service in all 50 US states, yet none of the major players allow for it. But not giving your name is just one element of the many ways that Phreeli is focused on privacy and anonymity, with this carrier having seemingly thought of just about every aspect required in providing truly anonymous phone service. Of course, you might be wondering why you’d want an anonymous phone service, or thinking that it would only appeal to criminals, but Nicholas Merrill – the company’s founder – has stated in an interview with Wired that while inevitably some bad actors probably will use the service, that’s not who he’s aiming it at.
The European Union and U.S. are locked in a fight about an online content law. But if you listen to the two sides talk, it barely sounds like they’re describing the same thing. EU regulators brought their first penalty under the Digital Services Act, a law meant to curb deceptive and harmful content, on Friday in the form of a €120 million fine levied on X. The fine immediately set off a wave of fury from the Trump administration, with multiple officials rallying to the defense of Elon Musk’s company.
FREE DOWNLOAD Million Book Giveaway Knowledge Is Freedom… "DISS-CONNECTED: is designed as a quick-read-general public, short and cheaper book to explain how America– i.e. you, your family, friends, businesses, and the government has been punked by Big Telecom – what is now AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink (Lumen Technologies), with the help of their friends, (the cable companies) — and what America must do to fix the damage caused by this telecom/cable cartel that has taken over our communications and let the entire US critical infrastructure deteriorate, even though your family paid to upgrade the copper wires to fiber optics, which is just one among the many other cartel scandals.
This is my first-ever list of annual broadband turkey awards, which I’m awarding for the worst industry events of 2025. I’ve never done this before, because there have never been enough negative events in a single year to make a list like this. I hope I won’t be able to make a list again at the end of 2026.
- The House’s move to advance permitting reform sparked mixed reactions
- Rep. Pallone opposed a bill that mandates deadlines for state and local permit review
- Legislation may have minimal BEAD impact, a consultant told us
The broadband industry has long complained about cumbersome permitting processes, but the legislative gears are starting to turn on reform. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee approved Wednesday a batch of seven broadband permitting bills, which will advance to the full House for a vote. Most of the legislation is geared toward improving the permitting process on federal lands, but one bill – H.R.2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025 – aims to overhaul permitting across the federal, state and local levels.
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Scoop.it!
