1. Monthly archive
  2. August 2026

August 2026

A call for collective action on cyber defense

In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable. The companies and public services our communities depend on—from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet—are at risk. Today’s AI advances are already giving defenders new ways to fix weaknesses that have accumulated for years. If we act decisively, we can use the defenders’ window to make our digital world much more secure. We propose the following principles for a collective response:

Center for Democracy & Technology Files Amicus Brief in Patterson v. Meta

On August 27, 2026, the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education filed an amicus brief in the case of Patterson v. Meta. CDT filed this brief to bring to the court’s attention the broader impacts on free expression that weakening Section 230 will have on speech that is constitutionally protected but controversial.

An Enduring Commitment to Universal Service Transformed Alaska

It used to be a real challenge to talk to someone across Alaska, or across the country. Many Alaskans remember waiting in line to use the only telephone in a village. For me, it was the phone at the winter watchman's house in Ekuk. We each got a few minutes because everyone was waiting. Long-distance calls were expensive, and simply talking to family or conducting business required patience and persistence. Even after the internet arrived, connectivity remained limited in many parts of Alaska.

The Impracticality of Widescale Fiber Broadband in Alaska

Recently released records show that the Biden administration’s heavy fiber focus for broadband deployment was extraordinarily costly to taxpayers. Obtained by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S.

Is Optimum Imploding?

I noticed an article that said that Optimum was in danger of being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE automatically issues a warning to any stock when the average share price over thirty days is below $1.00. This warning was given to Optimum on August 13, and the company has until February 13, 2027, to get the 30-day average stock price above $1.00 to remain listed on the exchange. The company’s stock has plummeted over the last year. A year ago, the stock was trading at $2.33 per share. Five years ago, the stock traded at more than $28 per share.

The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance

Until the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal government alone was responsible for paying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Under OBBBA, starting in October 2027, states potentially will be required to pay a share of SNAP benefits, with the required share determined solely by the state’s “payment error rate” for the relevant fiscal year. After the first year, a state’s payment error rate from three years prior will determine the state’s cost shift, meaning that a state’s FY2026 payment error rate will be the basis for the FY2029 cost-shift amount.

Sponsor 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Date 
Tue, 09/15/2026 - 19:00 to 20:30

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will convene a virtual listening session on screen use in schools, as it relates to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC’s) E-Rate program, which provides discounts for schools and libraries toward the cost of internet connectivity. 


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