1. Monthly archive
  2. December 2024

December 2024

2024 Communications Marketplace Report

The Federal Communications Commission is required to publish a Communications Marketplace Report every two years that assesses the state of competition across the broader communications marketplace. The FCC must evaluate competition to deliver voice, video, audio, and data services among providers of telecommunications, providers of commercial mobile service, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), broadcast stations, providers of satellite communications, Internet service providers (ISPs), and other providers of communications services.  As part of its evaluation, the FCC must

Governor Kelly Announces More than $8 Million Toward Closing the Digital Divide

Governor Laura Kelly announced that the Kansas Office of Broadband Development will begin accepting applications on Feb. 3, 2025, for funding from the National Telecommunications Information and Administration (NTIA) Digital Equity Capacity Grant program. There will be a total of $8.2 million available in funding. The program promotes partnerships to enhance digital opportunity efforts and expand workforce skills, education, and other resources. While applicants are encouraged to develop new and innovative strategies, the program targets projects in the following areas:

Social Media Companies Face Global Tug-of-War Over Free Speech

President-elect Donald J. Trump and his allies have vowed to squash an online “censorship cartel” of social media firms that they say targets conservatives. Already, the president-elect’s newly chosen regulators at the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission have outlined plans to stop social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube from removing content the companies deem offensive — and punish advertisers that leave less restrictive platforms like X in protest of the lack of moderation. In Europe, social media companies face the opposite problem.

Elon Musk’s Political Influence Wears Down Global Resistance to Starlink

The global wall of resistance to Elon Musk’s satellite business is crumbling. Even before Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump retake the US presidency, SpaceX’s Starlink was picking off swaths of the world country by country.

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.