After three years of planning, analysis and collaboration with the federal government, Maine Connectivity Authority  is proud to announce that Maine’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Final Proposal has been approved by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. This proposal includes awards totaling $48.4 million to expand Maine’s internet infrastructure to 21,818 homes and businesses across the state. In 2023, Maine was allocated $272 million through the NTIA’s BEAD Program, which provides funding through states to serve homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions with unreliable, slow, or no internet connection. This was the largest grant in state history to expand internet access. In June 2025, the NTIA restructured the BEAD Program requirements, including a “Benefit of the Bargain” application round. Applications resulted in high-speed internet service for 100 percent of the BEAD-eligible locations with requests for $48.4 million in federal funding, complemented by $109 million in private matching funds from applicants. This led to Maine having one of the lowest average costs per location nationwide. 

The trade association USTelecom will file comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the Commission to use its authority to "return America's permitting to the realm of common sense" via actions on timelines, fees, and coordinated practices. The telecommunications group's comments are being filed in response to the FCC's notice of inquiry on "Eliminating Barriers to Wireline Deployment," which seeks input on ways the Commission can use its authority under section 253 of the Communications Act to preempt state and local laws that "have a prohibitive effect on wireline telecommunications deployments and services." Initial comments are due this week, with reply comments due in mid-December.

From making up to breaking up, there's probably a robot involved. Tinder is testing a new AI-powered feature called Chemistry that uses "deep learning" to analyze a user's photos in their camera roll, in order to understand their vibe and make better matches, the company said recently. Instead of the decades-old method of answering a long list of static queries to make better matches, Tinder says the new feature "gets to know users through interactive questions." Once couples have made a match and decided to put a ring on it, 36 percent of people say they're actively using AI in their wedding planning, according to The Knot's 2026 future of marriage report. The percentage of people getting assists from the bots is up from 20 percent in the 2025 report. ChatGPT has also become Gen Z's new "divorce coach," says divorce attorney Jackie Combs, whose clients include Emily Ratajkowski, Chris Appleton, and Ines de Ramon. Combs says couples are using AI to draft separation agreements, decode legal jargon, and help manage their post-divorce grief.