Facebook did something US technology giants have done countless times before: it bought a smaller company and closed the deal without notifying competition regulators. But this transaction -- the $400 million acquisition of image library Giphy -- was particularly bold. Giphy used a common -- and legal -- maneuver that lets companies avoid scrutiny from merger watchdogs: it paid a dividend to investors.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in our country, millions of Americans cannot connect to the internet because they can’t afford to, preventing them from going to school, working, accessing government benefits and connecting with friends and family. To remedy this problem, Congress created the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), which offers low-income consumers a $50 discount on their internet bills.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has received more than 230 applications for the Broadband Infrastructure Program, for a total of more than $2.5 billion in funding requests across 49 states and US territories. NTIA has begun reviewing the applications as part of the $288 million grant program, which was funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Grants will be awarded to covered partnerships between a state, or political subdivisions of a state, and providers of fixed broadband service.
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