1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2023

May 2023

FTC Proposes Blanket Prohibition Preventing Facebook from Monetizing Youth Data

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed changes to the agency’s 2020 privacy order with Facebook after alleging that the company has failed to fully comply with the order, misled parents about their ability to control with whom their children communicated through its Messenger Kids app, and misrepresented the access it provided some app developers to private user data. As part of the proposed changes, Meta, which changed its name from Facebook in October 2021, would be prohibited from profiting from data it collects, including through its virtual reality products, from users under the a

Brightspeed gets $500 Million investment from Abu Dhabi firm Mubadala

North Carolina-based broadband provider Brightspeed has caught the eye of Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala, which will invest $500 million into the operator. The investment, subject to regulatory approvals and conditions, would make Mubadala a minority shareholder alongside Apollo Global Management, Brightspeed’s parent company.

Lumen Technologies reports first quarter 2023 results

Lumen Technologies reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. The company:

  • Increased its Quantum Fiber-enabled location pacing, deploying approximately 120 thousand fiber locations during the first quarter of 2023;
  • Increased Grow revenue to $1.128 billion for the first quarter of 2023, compared to $1.091 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022;
  • Reported Net Income of $511 million for the first quarter of 2023, compared to reported Net Income of $599 million for the first quarter of 2022.

 

Consolidated Communications Reports Record Consumer Fiber Broadband Net Adds and Announces First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Consolidated Communications reported results for the first quarter of 2023. The company:

  • Achieved record consumer fiber broadband net adds of 12,337, an increase of 60% versus the first quarter of 2022. Consumer broadband net adds were positive by 2,404;
  • Grew consumer fiber broadband revenue by 56% and increased the average-revenue-per-user (ARPU) by 5.7%;
  • Completed 53,858 fiber upgrades to Gigabit+ speeds, now extending fiber-to-the-premises (FttP) capabilities to 40% of the addressable market.

 

Big Tech-funded groups try to kill bills to protect children online

Federal efforts to pass children’s online safety protections have languished amid disagreements between House and Senate leaders about which proposals to rally around.

Buy America and BEAD

In the State of the Union speech earlier in 2023, President Biden made it clear that he wants to see the monies spent on infrastructure projects follow the Buy America rules. The law says that purchasing funded by the US government should have a preference for using American-made products. The rules allow for waivers from this provision, but the presumption is that without a waiver that American goods must be used.

Air travel chaos looms as US keeps 5G altimeter refit deadline

The US will not delay a deadline for airlines to refit planes with new sensors to address possible 5G interference, despite concerns the cut-off date could cause travel disruption. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that airlines were told the July 1, 2023 deadline would remain in place. Airlines have warned that they will not be able to meet the deadline and may be forced to ground some planes. Telecoms firms have previously delayed 5G rollout to allow airlines to adapt. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation companies have previously raised concerns that C-Band spectr

Broadband expansion in Oklahoma reaches major milestone

High-speed internet access is expanding in rural Oklahoma. The Cooperative Broadband Coalition, or CBC, celebrated a major milestone: 100,000 Oklahomans who previously did not have access now had access to high-speed internet. The Cooperative Broadband Coalition said 10 electric cooperatives with fiber subsidiaries are experiencing adoption rates as high as 52% in rural Oklahoma, adding about 2,000 subscribers a month.

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