With tweens spending an average of five hours a day on screens, and teens over eight hours a day, this hearing will examine how early, excessive use of smartphones, tablets, and laptops can harm development and mental wellbeing. The hearing will also explore how to empower parents, who often struggle to monitor and limit screen time, at a time when the U.S. education system – fueled by federal subsidies and incentives – is providing personal devices to children.
There have been a number of articles in the industry press predicting a major shortage of fiber in 2026. Fiber manufacturers have already been working at full capacity due to the large amounts of fiber networks being built, and 2026 should be a busy year for fiber construction. The telephone companies, cable companies, and fiber overbuilders are all planning a lot of fiber construction.
Google has removed some of its artificial intelligence (AI) health summaries after a Guardian investigation found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading information.
As data center developers increasingly seek rural pastures, local electric cooperatives could be the saving grace to their power and permitting issues, said James Tanneberger, CEO of Accord Telecommunications Collaborative. With regards to supporting distributed artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, “we already have a substation that has a transformer sitting there that’s only half loaded,” he said. In other words, a 22.5 MVA transformer may only have “10 MVA of load on it” that the co-op uses to supply power and broadband to its members.
Google and Shopify, along with retailers, unveiled a new standard to help artificial intelligence (AI) autonomously complete purchases across different shopping platforms. The initiative centers on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), co-developed by Google with industry leaders including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Walmart, and Target. More than 20 retailers, platforms, and payment companies endorse the protocol, including Home Depot, Best Buy, Macy's, Mastercard, and Visa.
Broadband news digest for January 12, 2026
Monday, January 12, 2026
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