Who owns, controls, or influences media and telecommunications outlets.
Ownership
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Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off
“A star is born: Elon,” said Donald Trump in a lengthy shout out to his biggest donor while claiming victory in the US presidential race on Wednesday morning. Trump’s win ushers in a new era for Musk—already the world’s richest person with a $260bn fortune—whose gamble on a knife-edge US election paid off as he is set to become one of the incoming president’s most influential political and business advisers. Musk’s promised role as head of a new Department of Government Efficiency will give the billionaire sweeping powers to recommend deep cuts to what he deems a “vast federal bureaucracy
Fiber mergers rage on with Bell Canada buying Ziply Fiber for $7 billion
Bell Canada announced it was acquiring Ziply Fiber for $3.65 billion in cash plus the assumption of debt, resulting in a transaction value of about $7 billion. This deal follows Verizon’s recent announcement that it’s acquiring Frontier for $20 billion. The announcement between Bell Canada and Ziply would make Bell the third largest fiber internet services provider in North America, after AT&T and Verizon.
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2023 Broadband Capex Report
America’s broadband industry invested $94.7 billion in U.S. communications infrastructure in 2023, as broadband providers worked intensively to connect communities to high-speed networks.
UScellular to Sell Certain Spectrum Licenses to Verizon in $1 Billion Deal
UScellular is selling a portion of its spectrum licenses to Verizon for $1 billion as it looks to monetize the spectrum that wasn’t included in the proposed sale to T-Mobile.
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SpaceX Wields Power Over Satellite Rivals to Boost Starlink
SpaceX has used its position as the world’s primary rocket launcher to push rival satellite operators to share wireless airwaves, showing how the company can flex its power in one area to benefit another part of its business.
It looks like smooth sailing for Verizon/Frontier
Verizon's $20 billion play for fiber network operator Frontier Communications likely won't encounter any major troubles from regulators or competitors, according to a handful of financial analysts. "Frontier will be acquired by Verizon," wrote the financial analysts at TD Cowen.
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Google Must Make It Easier for App Stores to Compete on Android, Judge Rules
U.S. District Judge James Donato ordered Google to make it easier for developers of mobile-app stores to compete on phones and tablets that use the company’s Android software. The injunction is the result of Google losing an antitrust case—brought by “Fortnite” developer Epic Games—during a jury trial in December 2023.
Verizon Strikes $3.3 Billion Tower Deal With Vertical Bridge
Verizon Communications reached a $3.3 billion deal that gives Vertical Bridge the exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage thousands of wireless communications towers over at least 10 years. The two companies said the agreement is structured as a prepaid lease, with upfront payments of about $2.8 billion in cash.
DirecTV Agrees to Merge With Satellite Rival Dish
DirecTV agreed to buy Dish from owner EchoStar for a nominal $1, plus the assumption of roughly $9.8 billion in debt. That merger depends on an agreement with bondholders to write off about $1.6 billion of the Dish obligations as well as approval from multiple federal regulators. Merging Dish with DirecTV would bolster both brands’ profits as their customer bases erode. The deal would create the largest U.S.
Epic Games to Sue Google, Samsung Over Alleged App-Store Scheme
Fortnite maker Epic Games says it is suing Google and Samsung, alleging that the companies secretly colluded and imposed “onerous” restrictions on new third-party app stores. Epic alleges that Google and Samsung made it too difficult for consumers to download app stores made by outside software developers, a new possibility after Google lost a previous antitrust lawsuit brought by the videogame company. The tech giants conspired to make a feature called Auto Blocker active by default on Samsung’s newest smartphones, according to Epic.