Internet/Broadband

US Ignite is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Harris County (TX), the third-largest county in the United States. US Ignite will develop a comprehensive broadband plan for the county. The initiative ensures that Harris County’s Broadband Plan aligns with changes in technology, policies, and the county’s vision for connectivity. As part of this initiative, US Ignite will comprehensively evaluate Harris County’s existing broadband plan, ensuring it aligns with the field’s best practices and recent advancements in broadband strategy.

When Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina, tens of thousands of residents were left without electricity for days and even weeks. In Hot Springs, flooding forced the shutdown of the Marshall Substation.

In light of sweeping actions across the federal government, simply put—the vibes are off at the Federal Communications Commission.

President Trump has a much different vision of the future than the tech titans who raced to shape and support his economic agenda.

Sky has reiterated its commitment to providing broadband services using CityFibre’s network, as the UK’s largest altnet races to secure £1.5 billion of fresh capital. Sky met with lenders to CityFibre, including NatWest and ING, to confirm it would be moving some of its customers to CityFibre’s network in 2025. Sky has 5.7 million broadband customers. Like many rivals, it does not have its own infrastructure but uses BT’s Openreach network. The partnership with CityFibre, which has its own independent broadband network, would allow it to diversify its customer base.

I saw several articles voicing concern about sabotage when two different undersea fiber operators, C-Lion and BCS East-West Interlink, reported breaks in fiber in the Baltic Sea in the same week. There was speculation that Russia was cutting fibers to try to disrupt European broadband. It was eventually reported that the cuts looked like accidents, but conspiracy theorists still like the sabotage story better.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration after millions of dollars in grants to state libraries were terminated abruptly through the Trump administration’s efforts to illegally shutter the agency that administers them.

The White House Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, issued two revised policies to facilitate responsible AI adoption to improve public services. These policies fundamentally shift perspectives and direction from the prior Administration, focusing now on utilizing emerging technologies to modernize the Federal Government.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) is demanding answers from the artificial intelligence nonprofit, Future of Privacy Forum, over its having used federal grant money to advocate for states to adopt AI laws. Sen Cruz raises concerns about the group’s advocacy for AI regulations aligned with the Biden administration’s political agenda, such as policing speech and embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in AI code. He is also reviewing FPF’s federal grants amid concerns that the organization attempted to obscure its support for Biden’s AI regulatory agenda.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced the tentative agenda for the April Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025: