Broadband in America Report: August 2026 Edition
This monthly installment of the Broadband in America Report builds on the prior semiannual
August 2026
Musicians-turned-detectives are hunting for AI grifters (Vox)
Submitted by benton on Sun, 08/30/2026 - 14:52
FCC Proposes Nearly $200,000 Fine Against Two Covered List Entities (Federal Communications Commission)
Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Fri, 08/28/2026 - 12:37Michigan Broadband to acquire Educational Access Network assets in $21 million deal
Michigan Broadband Services will acquire “substantially all assets” of the Educational Access Network from Northern Michigan University’s if the agreement between the organizations closes. MBS would receive licensed 2.5 GHz Educational Broadband Service spectrum covering portions of 41 counties, Nokia AirScale radio equipment deployed across more than 70 tower sites, licensed microwave facilities, and related network infrastructure. EAN has approximately 7,500 subscribers and generates about $2.5 million annually. MBU is a subsidiary of publicly traded MachTen.
Wooden versus Metal Poles
I recently saw a question on LinkedIn that asked why we don’t use more metal utility poles instead of wooden ones. It’s a good question, and there are a lot of issues to consider when choosing between the two. One issue to consider is useful life. On paper, the useful life of a wooden pole is thirty to forty years. However, there are plenty of poles that have lasted fifty and even sixty years. Another important issue is cost. Wooden poles have gotten a lot more expensive in recent years.
FCC commissioner views critical infrastructure in Minot
Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty and Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher visited Minot (ND) on August 13 to tour critical communications systems and engage in a roundtable discussion with Minot area leaders.
Europe's AI Act gets real
Europe's landmark AI law has moved from an idea to enforcement. A major enforcement deadline
FCC Authorizes Wireless Technology Innovation Zone at Iowa State
The Federal Communications Commission authorized a new Innovation Zone at Iowa State University to provide a platform to develop and refine wireless technologies intended to connect rural communities and to study new use cases for precision agriculture for both crop and livestock farms. Innovation Zones are locations designated for use by specific experimental licensees to foster robust wireless research and development through the testing of new advanced technologies, applications, and prototype networks outside of a traditional small campus or laboratory setting.