Reporting

Here are 5 broadband startups making waves around the globe

The digital divide is a global problem. NCTA – the Internet & Television Association released last week a documentary called “Every Last Mile,” which aims to illustrate the challenges ISPs face in building broadband in rural America, but we went a step further. We looked at which broadband and telecommunications startups are tackling connectivity on a global scale.

The Supreme Court just kneecapped tech regulation

The Supreme Court's decision limiting executive branch power also further hobbled U.S.

Supreme Court Extends Time Frame for Challenges to Regulations

The Supreme Court gave companies more time to challenge many regulations, ruling that a six-year statute of limitations for filing lawsuits begins when a regulation first affects a company rather than when it is first issued. The ruling in the case—the latest in a series of challenges to administrative power—could amplify the effect of the blockbuster decision overturning a foundational legal precedent known as Chevron deference, which required federal courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable inter

The Divide: Gigi Sohn on how the FCC could (still) save the ACP

In this episode of The Divide, broadband advocate Gigi Sohn returns to the podcast, on behalf of the Affordable Broadband Campaign (ABC), to discuss the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and how to get a version of the ACP back through Universal Service Fund (USF) reform.

LiveOak Fiber Gains $250 Million From Investment Firm

LiveOak Fiber, which operates fiber broadband networks in Georgia and Florida, has secured $250 million from J.P. Morgan to fund its fiber network expansion in the southeastern United States. The quarter billion investment will be used to expand LiveOak’s 100% fiber broadband network in Florida, Georgia, and beyond. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Brunswick, Georgia, LiveOak Fiber has grown quickly.

Could 5G carriers ink a spectrum deal with TV broadcasters?

A television conference in Washington (DC) aired a proposed remake of one of the bigger spectrum-policy hits of the past decade, although it's not clear what kind of reception "Incentive Auction 2.0" might get. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr endorsed the idea of a second "incentive auction" during his talk onstage with Madeleine Noland, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee.

Supreme Court Declines to Rule on Tech Platforms’ Free Speech Rights

The Supreme Court avoided a definitive resolution of challenges to laws in Florida and Texas that curb the power of social media companies to moderate content, leaving in limbo an effort by Republicans who have promoted such legislation to remedy what they say is a bias against conservatives. Instead, the justices unanimously agreed to return the cases to lower courts for analysis. The laws were prompted in part by the decisions of some platforms to bar President Donald J. Trump after the Jan.

Prison Phone Rates Set for Drastic Reduction Under New FCC Rules

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed new rules to reduce phone and video call rates for incarcerated people, a move that could dramatically reshape the business of prison telecom providers such as ViaPath Technologies and Avent

Musk’s Starlink faces rough weather in Indonesia

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is facing stiff resistance from Indonesian internet service providers (ISPs). The Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association is asking the government to ban Starlink’s license to sell services to consumers because ISPs see satellite provider as a threat to their market share. The ISPs have invested heavily in setting up a terrestrial network.

AT&T claims U.S. industry first with RedCap launch

AT&T claims it is the first carrier in the U.S. to introduce 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology for the IoT sector, with commercial service now available in select areas of the Dallas metro area. The service was launched on June 14 via a software upgrade from Ericsson, but AT&T is working with both Ericsson and Nokia on its RedCap rollout, according to Jason Sikes, AVP of Device Architecture at AT&T. RedCap stands for “reduced capability,” which sounds like something’s gone missing, but it actually refers to reduced complexity and therefore, reduced costs.