Locked-Down Users Reaching Limits on Social Media Amid Coronavirus
Social-media usage is blowing up, but will it crash when real-life invitations start flooding back in?
May 2020
Zoom strikes a deal with NY AG office, closing the inquiry into its security problems (CNBC)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 06:37
Reforming Universal Service Contributions Would Not Harm Broadband Adoption
This analysis explores, from an economic perspective, the effects of modifying and expanding the “contribution base”—the supply of financial resources for the Universal Service Fund—to include both voice and broadband connections. While the Federal Communications Commission has updated the way universal service funds are distributed to orient them more toward support of both voice and broadband services, the contributions system that pays for the FCC’s mission-critical USF initiatives continues to rely precariously upon a dwindling pool of revenues from legacy services.
CAF II Winner Cal.net Shares Plans to Use CBRS for 100 Mbps Fixed Wireless (telecompetitor)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 05/07/2020 - 17:35Drive-in Wi-Fi hotspots launch statewide push for universal public access broadband in Washington
The Washington State Broadband Office estimates over 300 new drive-in Wi-Fi hotspots are coming online statewide through an initiative to bring free public broadband internet access to all residents. To date, 140 of the new drive-in hotspots are operational, in addition to 301 existing Washington State Library hotspots identified across the state.
Alphabet/Sidewalk Labs Drops Smart City Project in Toronto
Google’s parent abandoned plans to develop a “smart city” in a Toronto neighborhood, a controversial project that once embodied the tech giant’s futuristic ambitions. The move is the highest-profile example yet of retrenchment by Alphabet under new Chief Executive Sundar Pichai. The Toronto project, under Alphabet arm Sidewalk Labs, was a favorite of Google co-founder Larry Page, who held the CEO role until December. Sidewalk Labs cited economic uncertainty and pressure on the local real-estate market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
YouTube Controls 16% of Pandemic Traffic Globally (Multichannel News)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 05/07/2020 - 17:14Zoom Buys Keybase to Bolster Encryption in First Acquisition (Bloomberg)
Submitted by benton on Thu, 05/07/2020 - 17:11CenturyLink Reports First Quarter 2020 Results
CenturyLink CEO Jeff Storey said the companies' fiber-rich network was well suited to handle the increased demand for the company's services during the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, CenturyLink has seen a 30% to 40% growth in its backbone during the pandemic, and "a correspondingly significant increase in average usage across our CDN, end-user IP, voice and conferencing platforms," Storey said. CenturyLink saw a net loss of 11,000 total broadband subscribers in the first quarter.