1. Monthly archive
  2. June 2026

June 2026

Verizon, Britain’s BT to Form International Connectivity Joint Venture

Verizon Communications and BT Group said they would merge their international enterprise operations to form a joint venture, turning to a partnership to provide connectivity services to thousands of clients across several countries. The two companies said in a joint statement that they had signed an agreement to set up the joint venture, in which both groups will have equal voting rights. The joint venture is expected to serve over 3,000 clients in more than 180 countries, representing roughly $4 billion in combined annual revenue.

Building the Nervous System of a Thinking Economy

The United States has entered one of the most consequential infrastructure investment cycles since the construction of the interstate highway system and the commercialization of the Internet. Two historic trends are unfolding at the same time: the nationwide deployment of fiber broadband infrastructure and the rapid buildout of the infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence, quantum networking, and other emerging applications. Each would be transformative on its own.

Sponsor 

Illinois Extension

University of Illinois

Date 
Tue, 06/30/2026 - 11:00

Illinois is seeing unprecedented government and private investments in broadband infrastructure statewide. As providers deploy new infrastructure, understanding the various permitting authorities, statutes, and landscape is critical to ensuring projects are deployed efficiently and safely.

The Illinois Office of Broadband (IOB) will share resources to navigate permitting for broadband projects in Illinois. Attendees can expect deep dives on the new Illinois Broadband Permit Map, Broadband in Illinois Starter Guide, Permitting Directory, and more.


FCC Adopts the Performance Plan Template for the Alaska Connect Fund

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) adopted the Performance Plan Template that mobile providers must use to submit their Alaska Connect Fund (ACF) performance plans for Bureau review and approval. The Bureau incorporates, in part, three of the four requested changes to the proposed template and declines to incorporate a requested change because it is inconsistent with the Alaska Connect Fund Order. The Bureau also clarifies that providers may voluntarily claim additional hex-9s in the comparable areas columns of the Performance Plan Template. 

FCC Announces Winning Bidders in AWS-3 Wireless Auction

On June 23, 2026, bidding concluded in Auction 113, the auction of Advanced Wireless Services licenses in the 1695–1710 MHz, 1755–1780 MHz, and 2155–2180 MHz bands (collectively, the “AWS-3” bands).  Auction 113 raised a total of $3,572,347,950 in net bids and $3,572,889,200 in gross bids, with seven bidders winning a total of 200 licenses. (see winning bidders)

California PUC challenges FCC copper retirement rules

Copper network retirement in California has taken another litigious turn. In a suit against the Federal Communications Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is asking the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a federal court in San Francisco, to determine that the FCC's new rules aimed at expediting copper network shutdowns constitutes an overreach that violates federal law and conflicts with notice-and-comment rulemaking requirements.

© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.