Reporting

Amid a slew of executive appointments and policy changes, local government workers will feel assured that Mayor Cherelle Parker (D-PA) plans to continue the City of Philadelphia’s digital equity work.

The other day some preschoolers were pretending to be one of their favorite Sesame Street characters, a baby goat named Ma’zooza who likes round things. They played with tomatoes—counting up to five, hiding one, and putting it back. A totally ordinary moment exploring shapes, numbers, and imagination.

Social media companies have long made their own rules about the content they allow on their sites. But a pair of cases set to be argued before the Supreme Court on Monday will test the limits of that freedom, examining whether they can be legally required to host users’ speech. The cases, Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, deal with the constitutionality of laws created in Florida and Texas, respectively.

After a divisive investigation into the “Twitter Files” that Republicans decried as “harassment,” the Federal Trade Commission has found no evidence that the social network violated the terms of a government order that placed sweeping restrictions on the company’s data security practices. “Longtime information security employees at Twitter intervened and implemented safeguards to mitigate the risks,” the FTC said.

North Carolina is moving forward with a digital equity grant program to bring broadband access into more underserved homes, as part of a larger mission to have all of these homes connected to the Internet by 2029. The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Office of Digital Equity and Literacy will award $14 million in grants to community organizations such as local nonprofits, libraries, educational institutions and others.

STL is already cashing in on a decision to bring its fiber manufacturing stateside, striking a deal to supply cables to regional internet service provider Lumos.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) well is about to run dry, but some analysts remain hopeful that the program may be able to secure additional funding. As the saying goes: it ain't over till it's over. To be sure, the odds are still favoring ACP funds running out, New Street Research’s Blair Levin said.

Charter Communications has agreed to modify disclosures in its ad campaign after once again receiving a warning from the National Advertising Division (NAD). This time, it’s regarding Charter’s recent commercial claim that Verizon customers "will save over $1,500 in their first year if they switch to Spectrum Mobile." The commercial features two couples, "George and Heidi" with Verizon, and "Dan and Tina" with Spectrum, both stated to have two lines, unlimited data and nationwide 5G. George and Tina are told they pay "way too much" and decide to switch to Spectrum.

Nine former chairs of the Federal Communications Commission issued a letter to the US House and Senate leaders, urging Congress to make the nationwide transition to next-generation 911 a “top priority.” Experts say the new, internet-based system is a much-needed replacement to the aging, telephone-based emergency communications infrastructure that’s been used across the US for decades. The letter penned by former FCC officials follows similar correspondence sent to Congress in January by a coalition of nine national organizations—including the National Emerge

The township of Edison (NJ) has received a $2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to expand municipal broadband services. The Township Council passed a resolution accepting the grant, and Edison now has a 24-month period to build a portion of the infrastructure, part of which is a server, as well as a business plan which is expected to be completed soon, officials said. Previously officials have said the business plan would look at the strengths and weaknesses of municipal broadband and determine market competition.