January 2026

Elon Musk’s Starlink is offering free broadband internet service to users in Venezuela through February 3, following U.S. airstrikes and the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro. The satellite internet provider said that service credits were being added to both active and inactive accounts as it monitored evolving conditions. Starlink, a subsidiary of the aerospace company SpaceX, provides internet access via low-earth-orbit satellites and requires users to purchase separate equipment to connect to the service.

The Lake County (IL) Digital Equity Coalition is proud of the work it’s done getting vulnerable populations connected to the modern world, but uncertainty lies ahead for it and many programs as COVID-era federal funding draws to a close. The coalition is part of the broader Digital Growth Initiative, which came about when the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plan was passed in December 2023 through the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Two of the three big US carriers appointed new CEOs in 2025 and the question lingering on everyone's lips is, what will they do? Dan Schulman took over at Verizon in October, and Srini Gopalan took the helm at T-Mobile in November. 2026 will be pivotal for both as they look to make their mark and chart a course in the competitive US market. The way each executive landed in the top job was completely different.