Friday, February 26, 2021
FCC decision ... of sorts
How do we ensure that broadband service providers enable access to all lawful content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites? This now-decades-long debate added a new chapter this week when Judge John Mendez of the U.S.
Late night Feb 25, the Federal Communications Commission voted to formally adopt a Report and Order that establishes the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, a $3.2 billion federal initiative to provide qualifying households discounts on their internet service bills and an opportunity to receive a discount on a computer or tablet. As of 7:30 am Feb 26, the order had not been released so no details of the FCC decision are yet available.
AT&T agreed to sell a stake in its pay-TV unit to private-equity firm TPG and carve out the struggling business, pulling the telecom giant back from a costly wager on entertainment. The transaction would move the DirecTV and AT&T TV services in the US into a new entity that will be jointly run by the new partners. AT&T will retain a 70% stake in the business. TPG will pay $1.8 billion in cash for a 30% stake.
Friday, February 26, 2021
Over the last few months, the National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) added Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Montana, New York, Oklahoma and Vermont to its growing roster of state participants. To date, the NBAM includes 30 states and four federal agencies: the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
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