Carl Weinschenk

AST SpaceMobile, which is preparing to offer low earth orbit (LEO)-based cellular broadband network services, says that it has gotten an initial license from the Federal Communications Commission for space-based operations in the United States. Initially, AST SpaceMobile’s services will include a cellphone-to-satellite offering.

In a deal that will focus on networking in Texas, Highline has acquired Liberty-based Internet Management Services (IMS). The combined company plans to expand its footprint in the southeast region of the state. Highline traces its roots back more than 125 years and has been involved in fiber deployments for 27 years. In addition to Texas, it is active in Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, and Nebraska. Its networks provide 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps fiber connections within its footprint.

Open access provider Intrepid Fiber Networks says its newly secured $290 million in debt financing will support ongoing deployments in Colorado and Minnesota. In all, more than 250,000 premises will eventually have access to Intrepid’s networks in the two states. Société Générale is structuring and acting as coordinating advisor in the transaction.

In Vermont, a thinly-populated rural state, private providers have often shown little interest in investing in broadband improvements.

The Indiana Connectivity Program announced the 10th round of awards on July 11, 2024. The Indiana Connectivity Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations. The 10th round of the program awarded $3,327,496 to expand broadband to 708 addresses across 38 counties. The awardees and amounts were:

Brightspeed has been awarded more than $213 million in local, state, and federal grants to deploy fiber broadband networks in 12 states.

There was strong 5G wireless growth during first quarter of 2024, with 185 million additions pushing global connections to almost the 2 billion level, according to data from 5G Americas telecommunications trade organization and Omdia, an analyst and advisory company. North America is a big part of the positive momentum. The researchers reported that 32% of all cellular connections were 5G, which is double the global average. The overall growth rate was 11%, which equates to 22 million new connections.

The end of the Affordable Care Program (ACP) in May left a significant number of people at risk of losing access to broadband. Empowerus is trying to help soften the blow with a unique set of benefits that they believe constitute a replacement for the ACP. Empowerus and the Secure Card Association of America (SCAA) are partnering to provide a bundle of benefits to eligible households. Empowerus participants can opt for several benefits, including:

Vermont-focused broadband provider Burlington Telecom has introduced two service plans that it says will help subscribers who previously depended on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Burlington Telecom, which serves the city of that name and nearby communities, is offering two low cost programs. One is priced at $9.95 per month and offers 50 Mbps symmetrical service.

T-Mobile says it will comply with an advertising watchdog’s recommendation that the company discontinue or adjust its price lock claims for its Internet service in response to a challenge brought by AT&T. The watchdog, BBB’s National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD), uses these challenges to self-regulate service providers’ advertising claims.