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Friday, September 17, 2021
September 2021
Telegram emerges as new dark web for cyber criminals (Financial Times)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 06:21
Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Hundreds of T-Mobile stores will offer repair services starting November 1 (Vox)
Submitted by grace@benton.org on Thu, 09/16/2021 - 16:53Video: Emergency Broadband Benefit Help -- Back to School (MediaJustice)
Submitted by benton on Thu, 09/16/2021 - 16:51State IT officials say they're getting 'fair share' of relief funds
State IT officials are starting to see the effects of federal pandemic recovery money flowing in, and are using the funds to better equip remote workforces, improve network security and expand broadband. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that President Joe Biden signed in March 2021 included $350 billion tailored for state and local governments.
Project Taara's laser internet system beams broadband across the Congo River
Project Taara’s wireless optical communications links are now beaming light-speed connectivity from Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) to Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). In the same way traditional fibre uses light to carry data through cables in the ground, Taara’s wireless optical communication links use very narrow, invisible beams of light to deliver fiber-like speeds. To create a link, Taara’s terminals search for each other, detect the other’s beam of light, and lock-in like a handshake to create a high-bandwidth connection.
IQ Fiber prepares to take on AT&T and Comcast in Florida
New operator IQ Fiber is looking to give AT&T and Comcast a run for their money in Florida, starting with a greenfield deployment to some 60,000 locations in Jacksonville. Though its initial plan will see it offer service in Jacksonville starting in early Q2 of 2022, the company is eyeing an opportunity to expand across at least four counties, including Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns. The company is deploying an XGS-PON fiber network and plans to offer three service tiers with symmetrical speeds of 250 Mbps for $65 per month, 500 Mbps for $75 per month and 1 gig for $85 per month.
POLITICO holds inaugural tech summit, “At a Digital Crossroads: Washington and Silicon Valley”
Government officials, tech lobbyists, civil rights advocates and researchers participated in POLITICO’s inaugural tech summit: “At a Digital Crossroads: Washington and Silicon Valley.” Key takeaways include:
TPI adds Broadband Connectivity Index to its broadband map
The Technology Policy Institute is adding a “Broadband Connectivity Index” (BCI) to the TPI Broadband Map. The BCI incorporates information from multiple datasets in a way that makes it possible to compare overall connectivity objectively and consistently across geographic areas.