Nearly 90 percent of the internet traffic to and from our smartphones never touch our mobile carrier’s network. Instead, that traffic flows seamlessly through Wi-Fi, and that’s no accident. Wi-Fi is available for us to use because a whole host of people and organizations have spent decades preserving and expanding invisible airwaves known as spectrum on behalf of the American public.
Greenlight Networks says that its $100 million investment in fiber infrastructure in Baltimore (MD) will serve its first customers in September 2025. Greenlight Networks wants to become a fixture in Baltimore and says that it is seeking a permanent office location in the city to serve as its regional hub. It also says that it will hire locally for construction crews, network and installation technicians, and community outreach representatives. Maryland is making good use of public-private partnerships.
I was once lucky enough to have interviewed a number of rural people who told me what it was like when they finally got electricity. Almost every person I talked to mentioned how life-changing it was to brightly illuminate their homes with electric lightbulbs. Rural electricity was largely funded by low-income loans to newly formed electric cooperatives.
Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s moved closer to implementation after a key trial found that checking a user’s age is technologically possible and can be integrated into existing services. The conclusions are a blow to Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Snap Inc., which opposed the controversial legislation.
Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, with scores of 99.02 (out of 100) and 97.16, respectively, are the states in which people are most likely to engage in activities without their phones, according to a survey and report by Office Recovery. The report surveyed more than 2,000 residents of the fifty states to find what made them not use their phones (hence, left their phones “lonely”). Points were awarded based on the responses and the final numbers were adjusted by state and reported on a scale of 100. Other key points of the report about lonely phones:
Mobile service providers that decide to offer satellite-to-cellphone service can choose between two primary paths. They can let a satellite operator use some of their cellular spectrum or they can use spectrum intended for satellite use—spectrum that typically is controlled by the satellite operator. A new report from Analysys Mason explores the pros and cons of the two direct-to-device options. Overall, Analysys Mason favors the use of satellite spectrum. The authors point to a high level of global alignment for the satellite spectrum bands, known as the L-band and S-band.
Both providers and vendors in the broadband industry are trying to figure out how artificial intelligence can improve internal systems, customer service, construction, and more. Hailo Chief Technical Officer Avi Baum has another take.
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