1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2025

July 2025

The Digital Opportunity Index

The Digital Opportunity Index aims to fill a critical gap: the absence of objective tools that assess, encourage, and reward intentional and transparent efforts by ISPs to close the digital divide. Mainstream standards such as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indices purport to align ethical and social outcomes with financial performance. These frameworks have helped investors evaluate corporate risk and long-term value, and are often used in due diligence processes.

Is AI the exception to ‘America First’?

President Donald Trump's AI Action Plan is very much in line with Trump’s swaggering, chest-puffing attitude toward foreign policy.

National Governors Association asks governors to prioritize broadband, infrastructure, permitting in coming fiscal year

An economic development and “revitalization” task force inside the National Governors Association asked its membership to prioritize a list of 11 policy areas for fiscal year 2026. Broadband was among the policies the group asked its members to prioritize, noting the important role that “reliable and accessible internet connectivity plays in bridging the digital divide in our communities.” “Internet access is essential for telehealth, accessing education and workforce development programs, and connecting the 21st century economy,” an 

Q Link Wireless LLC and Issa Asad to Pay More than $110M in Global Resolution to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations

Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs.

New Mexico leads nation in broadband speed improvements

New Mexico achieved the largest year-over-year increase in broadband speeds nationally, with 20.5% more residents now accessing high-speed internet of 100/20 Mbps or faster, according to Speedtest by Ookla data comparing the last six months of 2023 to the last half of 2024. The speed increases are happening across the state for several reasons: more homes and businesses are gaining access to faster internet through new development, fiber technology is being prioritized for new broadband locations offering better latency and better-quality highspeed internet, and more New Mexicans are unders

New Mexico Gets 42 Bids for $675 Million Broadband Program in Two Weeks

New Mexico received 42 new applications in just two weeks for $675 million in federal broadband grants, bringing the total to 87 applications as providers rush to expand high-speed internet to more than 44,000 unserved locations statewide. The surge in applications came after new federal rules restarted the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program last month.

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