July 2025

Charter labels recent fiber cuts 'an act of domestic terrorism' (Light Reading)

Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 16:08

What comes next for AI copyright lawsuits? (MIT Technology Review)

Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 16:08

President Donald Trump threatens to unleash DOGE ‘monster’ on Musk’s companies (Financial Times)

Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 16:07

Harris County (TX) Commissioners Court Unanimously Approves Creation of Harris County Broadband Task Force

Following the US Ignite delivery and presentation of the Harris County Broadband Roadmap: A Platform for Shared Investment and Public Engagement, the Harris County (TX) Commissioners Court voted unanimously to establish a Harris County Broadband Task Force. Responsible for guiding strategy, coordinating public-private partnerships, and tracking progress, the task force will comprise members appointed by the Court and representing County offices, community organizations, academia, and the private sector.

Harris County (TX) Broadband Roadmap

Harris County (TX) approaches a pivotal moment in addressing broadband access and digital opportunity. Since the County’s last major broadband roadmap in 2020, the context for Internet access has evolved dramatically. The post-pandemic era brought sweeping changes in how residents work, learn, and access essential services.

Joseph Williams selected as interim director of the Washington State Broadband Office

Joseph Williams will lead the Washington State Broadband Office until a permanent director is appointed. Williams was previously Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness Information and Communications Technology sector lead. Williams steps in for Aaron Wheeler, who left the agency in June 2025. In his role as sector lead for Commerce, Williams worked closely with the state’s tech sector to both recruit new business and support those already here. Williams was also a tech policy advisor to former Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

Justice Department Requires Divestitures and Licensing Commitments in HPE’s Acquisition of Juniper Networks

Achieving a result otherwise unavailable through litigation, the Justice Department advised the court it had reached a settlement with HPE and Juniper that allows their merger to continue. This novel approach by the Justice Department reflects a commitment to solving unique challenges in mergers. The settlement requires HPE to divest its Instant On business and mandates that the merged firm license critical Juniper software to independent competitors.

DOGE has the keys to sensitive data that could help Elon Musk (Washington Post)

Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 14:11

Sponsor

Federal Communications Commission

Date

Wed, 07/02/2025 - 11:30

Federal Communications Commission Chairman will deliver the first major policy speech of his Chairmanship, outlining his “Build America” agenda

Read more about Build America

Lifeline Providers Clarify the Record

On June 27, 2025, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr circulated an order that would deny requests submitted by several Lifeline providers to extend a COVID-era waiver pertaining to the Lifeline program’s non-usage rules. By this letter, the relevant petitioners respectfully respond to the announcement in order to clarify the factual circumstances surrounding their respective requests. In particular, we write to clarify that:

Benton

Search