State
California Sues Amazon Alleging Antitrust Violations, Blocking Price Competition
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against Amazon alleging that the company stifled competition and caused increased prices across California through anticompetitive contracting practices in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law and Cartwright Act. In order to avoid competing on prices with other online e-commerce sites, Amazon requires merchants to enter into agreements that severely penalize them if their products are offered for a lower price off-Amazon. In the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta alleges that these agreements thwart the ability of other onli
Digital Inclusion Planning Guide
The Building a New Digital Economy (BAND-NC) initiative was announced in February 2020 to address the challenges of broadband adoption across North Carolina, and to spark long-term planning efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Is the BEAD Program Large Enough to Solve the Rural Digital Divide?
One of the biggest questions associated with the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant program is if that is enough money to solve the national rural digital divide. The funding works out to be around $850 million per state, but will vary significantly by state.
Governor Newsom Signs Nation-Leading Social Media Transparency Measure
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a first-of-its-kind social media transparency measure to protect Californians from hate and disinformation spread online. AB 587, sponsored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), will require social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism on their platforms, and report data on their enforcement of the policies.
How state-level subsidies might refill cable's broadband subscriber tank
With US cable broadband subscriber growth remaining flat or going negative, operators are hard-pressed to find a remedy that will rekindle growth in a service category now considered central to the overall business.
Tennessee Announces $447 Million in Broadband Infrastructure Investments
Tennessee is awarding $446,770,282 in grants for the expansion of internet access across the state. The broadband infrastructure grants will provide broadband access to more than 150,000 unserved homes and businesses across 58 counties. Funding for these grants comes through the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund – American Rescue Plan Act (TEBF-ARPA), which utilizes a portion of the state’s ARPA funds to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and work toward a strong recovery.
Ohio Announces New Broadband Infrastructure Training Program
Lieutenant Gov Jon Husted (R-OH) is launching the newly designed Broadband Infrastructure Training Program at Buckeye Hills Career Center in Rio Grande (OH). Students will go through an approximately 12-week interactive learning journey that includes the design, installation, and service components of broadband networks.
Colorado Broadband Deployment Board Awards $22.8 Million in Grants to Connect Homes to High-Speed Internet
Colorado’s Broadband Deployment Board (BDB), which operates under the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO), has awarded more than $22.8 million to 15 broadband projects that will connect 4,267 additional households to high-speed internet.
North Carolina broadband official expects new Federal Communication Commission data will provide a closer look
The Federal Communication Commission Chairwoman is aiming to publish a first-draft map of its nationwide broadband coverage map in November. First, though, comes a "challenge period," when state, local and tribal officials, as well as internet carriers, can examine and potentially correct the underlying data. For Nate Denny, Deputy Secretary of Broadband and Digital Equity at the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, this phase represents an opportunity to further hone the state's plan for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Broadband Equity, Acce
New Hampshire is All-In for Broadband
Broadband is the future of New Hampshire, we reported in June as the state was one of the first to win approval from the U.S. Treasury for plans to use Capital Projects Fund support to extend the reach of broadband networks. On September 8, we learned that New Hampshire is once again leading the way—now it is the first state to gain approval for a second wave of Capital Projects Fund support. New Hampshire's plans are designed to connect 80% of locations in the state still lacking high-speed internet access.