Internet/Broadband

Houston (TX)-based Ezee Fiber is investing $200 million in the continued expansion of its high-speed, 100% fiber optic network in Fort Bend County, a fast-growing area in southeast Texas. The investment pushes forward the company’s plans to reach an additional 125,000 Fort Bend County homes in 2024. The high-speed fiber internet is expected to be available to residents of Mission Bend, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Pearland and surrounding communities by the end of the third quarter of 2024.

RiverStreet Networks, a sister company of rural provider Wilkes Communications, has received a $191.1 million loan from CoBank that will go, in part, to refinance legacy US Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service financing and, in part, to deploy fiber broadband in rural areas of North Carolina and Virginia.

Fiber internet provider Kinetic plans to make 70% of Colquitt County (GA), or more than 17,000 homes and businesses, “fiber ready” in 2024 in a $32.5 million public-private partnership. Some 40% of the county, or more than 9,700 homes and businesses, including in county seat Moultrie, are already eligible for Kinetic’s fiber broadband, which provides internet speeds of up to 8 gigabits per second.

President Joe Biden announced what he called a “big step” toward internet for all, rolling out a $42 billion investment to deliver broadband to unserved and underserved communities. “With this funding, along with other federal investments, we’re going to be able to connect every person in America to reliable high-speed Internet by 2030,” President Biden said of the funds, allotted through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The electronics/technology sector ranks second on a list of industries that elicit the most emotional language among online commenters, according to an analysis of online reviews from Trustpilot conducted by online learning provider Preply. The electronics/technology sector was outranked only by the travel/vacation sector.

The collision of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and the recent chaos at OpenAI reveals something even bigger than social media’s shifting tectonic plates—the extent of the society-shaping power wielded by a very small cadre of Silicon Valley titans. Individual personalities—and individual fortunes—matter far more in the world of Silicon Valley startups than they do in corporate America’s more consensus-oriented, traditional bureaucracies.

The telecommunications industry has been adding fixed wireless access (FWA) subscribers at a clip of between 900,000 and 1 million per quarter over the past five quarters, according to New Street Research. And the analysts say, “We expect similar results over the next two quarters, with T-Mobile targeting around 500,000 per quarter and Verizon targeting 375,000-400,000 per quarter.” FWA has claimed more than 80% of industry broadband adds in the U.S.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance is accepting applications for the 2024 Digital Equity Champion Awards. Named for Charles Benton, the founder of Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, NDIA created the awards to recognize leadership and dedication in advancing digital equity: from promoting the ideal of accessible and affordable communications technology for all Americans to crafting programs and policies that make it a reality. NDIA presents two awards: the Digital Equity Champion Award recognizes an outstanding ind

Here’s what to expect at the Federal Communications Commission's December open meeting.

• We’re going after junk fees that harm consumers and hamper competition.
• We’re cracking down on illegal robotexts.
• We’re making smartphones more accessible to consumers with hearing loss.
• We’re removing barriers to broadband deployment.
• We’re improving health care in rural communities.
• We’re protecting consumer data.
• We’re protecting local TV programming.
• We will also consider an item from our Enforcement Bureau.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced a proposal to eliminate video service junk fee billing practices by cable operators and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service providers and study their impact on consumer choices. The proposal will be voted on during the December 13, 2023 Open Meeting. TV video service subscribers may terminate service for any number of reasons, including moving, financial hardship, or poor service.