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September 2026

'Largest cost transformation' in Comcast's history will save billions, says CFO

Comcast has sparked a plan to transform its cost structure and the overall business in a way that will save billions of dollars and enable Comcast to redirect those funds toward growth initiatives, CFO Jason Armstrong revealed at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference. "We embarked earlier this month on the largest cost transformation in the company's history. This will be billions of dollars in costs," he said. "I frame it [as] more of a transformation. It's not a budget exercise.

CarolinaConnect Withdraws From RDOF

CarolinaConnect Cooperative withdrew from the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program. While CarolinaConnect Cooperative remains committed to delivering gigabit-tier broadband and voice services to rural communities in South Carolina, escalating construction costs to deploy broadband and voice services throughout its RDOF-funded area, combined with the relatively modest RDOF funding authorized for CarolinaConnect Cooperative, have led It to make this difficult decision. CarolinaConnect Cooperative will no longer receive RDOF support and may be subje

The AI twilight zone

Two seemingly contradictory realities are true at once:

How ConnectLA Supports Efficient Permitting and Broadband Deployment Across Louisiana

ConnectLA is taking a proactive approach to permitting coordination to help broadband projects move efficiently from planning to construction. By being intentional and well-prepared in the permitting process, projects are able to move forward more efficiently, helping Louisiana reach full coverage by 2028, if not sooner. Since March, ConnectLA has hosted more than 150 permitting coordination and outreach events, engaging nearly 600 permitting agency contacts.

Sponsor 

Public Knowledge

Date 
Tue, 09/22/2026 - 15:00 to 17:00

The second installment in PK's 25th anniversary event series as we discuss the stories and impact of digital inclusion champions.

Public Knowledge continues its 25th anniversary event series with a look back at the early push for digital rights and inclusion in the era of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 – and traces that legacy all the way to today.


Don’t Ignore Remediation

One of the most common tasks required when building a new fiber network, particularly when burying fiber, is fixing the damage caused during the construction process. In the industry, we refer to this work as remediation, which means, in plain English, putting everything back to the way it was before the start of construction. There is a huge list of things that can go wrong and messes that can be made during the fiber construction process. There can be serious consequences for an internet service provider who bungles remediation.

Apple bets on "ambient AI" without the always-recording baggage

Apple debuted Apple Watch and iPhone features that could put its mark on the AI era. Apple is aiming to show it can be more private and useful, even as it plays catch-up to the state of the art in AI. In an era where plenty of tech companies are offering AI transcription gadgets that record entire conversations, Apple is making the case for a different approach. Rather than store recorded audio, Apple is transcribing what its microphones pick up, and providing certain highlights back to the user without attribution to specific speakers.

Welcome to the AI election where your eyes lie to you

Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton recently released a realistic 

Chatbots and the Ballot Box: Evaluating Accuracy, Sourcing, and Language Gaps in AI Answers to Election Questions

Large language models that underpin AI chatbots have taken on an expanding role in shaping the information environment. Roughly 25 percent of American adults use chatbots daily including for information gathering and synthesis, entertainment, and other uses. LLMs also increasingly influence information flows in more subtle ways. They are now a primary tool for fact-checking and content moderation on social media platforms.

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