Four years ago, the United Nations predicted that more than half of the global population would be connected to the internet by 2017, buoyed in part by “the fastest growing technology in human history”: mobile broadband. The world missed the mark.
The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Report and Order addressing cable rate regulations. In most of the US, basic service tier and equipment rates, together known as cable rates, are no longer regulated because the markets are deemed to be competitive by law due to the availability of satellite television and other services. However, in some communities in two states, Hawaii and Massachusetts, rates remain regulated.
Twitter removed more than a dozen accounts affiliated with the fringe right-wing media organization InfoWars. A Twitter spokesperson said the company permanently suspended 18 accounts, in part, for attempting to help InfoWars and its founder, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, circumvent the ban Twitter placed on them in Sept by posting material related to the media organization. The 18 suspensions came after "numerous violations and warnings."
The United States Cyber Command is targeting individual Russian operatives to try to deter them from spreading disinformation to interfere in elections, telling them that American operatives have identified them and are tracking their work, according to officials briefed on the operation. The campaign, which includes missions undertaken in recent days, is the first known overseas cyberoperation to protect American elections, including the Nov midterms.
In spite of the billions of dollars in private investment and government subsidies over multiple decades, the numbers still paint a disturbing picture. Roughly 39 percent of rural Americans lack access to high-speed broadband, compared with just 4 percent of urban Americans. The internet that rural Americans can access is slower and more expensive than it is for their urban counterparts. And to add insult to injury, the rural population generally earns less than those in urban areas. Building networks in rural America is incredibly expensive, and in some places it's nearly impossible.
© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.
