Daily Digest 1/30/2025 (William Edward Leuchtenburg)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Broadband Funding

Federal funding freeze creates 'considerable uncertainty' for BEAD  |  Read below  |  Nicole Ferraro, Ian Doescher  |  Light Reading, telecompetitor
The freeze is rescinded, but a review to eliminate spending on ‘woke’ ideologies will proceed.  |  New York Times
Together, Broadband Deployment and Digital Inclusion Programs Support Increased Internet Adoption  |  Read below  |  Kelly Wert  |  Analysis  |  Pew Charitable Trusts

Local Initiatives

Benton Foundation
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Leans Into Collaboration  |  Read below  |  Chris Ritzo  |  Analysis  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Satellite

Vodafone makes ‘world’s first’ satellite video call from a regular phone ahead of 2025 rollout  |  Vox

Platforms/Social Media/AI

Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit  |  Read below  |  Annie Linskey, Rebecca Ballhaus  |  Wall Street Journal
OpenAI Says DeepSeek May Have Improperly Harvested Its Data  |  New York Times
DeepSeek Scrambles U.S.-China Tech War  |  Wall Street Journal
It’s Not Just DeepSeek. A Guide to the Chinese AI Companies You Need to Know.  |  Wall Street Journal
AI Commercials Are Going to Take Over the Super Bowl This Year  |  Hollywood Reporter

Content

Rep. Lofgren Introduces Targeted Legislation to Combat Foreign Online Piracy That Preserves the Open Internet  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  House of Representatives

Company News

Comcast is rolling out ‘ultra-low lag’ tech that could fix the internet  |  Vox
T-Mobile’s 4th Quarter Results  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  T-Mobile
AT&T Finishes 2024 Strong, Delivering Growth in 5G and Fiber Subscribers  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  AT&T
Meta Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results  |  Meta
Microsoft Cloud and AI Strength Drives Second Quarter Results  |  Microsoft

Policymakers

Commerce Nominee Defends Trump Tariffs and Promises Strong Stance on China  |  Read below  |  Ana Swanson  |  New York Times
Committee Vote on Lutnick Nomination Scheduled for February 5  |  Senate Commerce Committee
Editorial | Spending freeze mess shows Trump’s pick isn’t right for OMB  |  Washington Post
Defying Legal Limits, Trump Firings Set Up Tests That Could Expand His Power  |  New York Times
Trump and Musk throw the kitchen sink at Washington  |  Politico
Elon Musk and His Allies Storm Into Washington and Race to Reshape It  |  New York Times
Hacking Democracy: How Elon Musk Is Disrupting European Politics  |  New York Times
Today's Top Stories

Federal funding freeze creates 'considerable uncertainty' for BEAD

Nicole Ferraro, Ian Doescher  |  Light Reading, telecompetitor

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has rescinded a memorandum that would have put a pause on all federal grant funds, creating significant confusion. The grants paused as part of the memorandum included  funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), part of which is the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The memorandum stated that “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders.” 

Together, Broadband Deployment and Digital Inclusion Programs Support Increased Internet Adoption

Kelly Wert  |  Analysis  |  Pew Charitable Trusts

Research shows that access to broadband correlates with greater economic opportunity and workforce participation as well as improved health outcomes. But the mere presence of networks is not enough—to ensure that people can benefit from new connections and fully participate in the digital economy, households need to use the service. It is therefore essential to support the adoption of broadband, and now, two government initiatives are working together to help. To support universal service, states are thinking about broadband access, affordability, and adoption concurrently and recognizing the importance of strong digital inclusion programs to ensure Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment-funded projects are effective. Digital Equity Act efforts such as helping people improve their digital skills and access low-cost internet offers will ensure that they are prepared to subscribe to and benefit from new connections through BEAD, supporting the sustainability of these federal investments.

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Leans Into Collaboration

Chris Ritzo  |  Analysis  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) owns and operates affordable housing locations for qualifying low-income families and individuals in the Cleveland, Ohio, metro area. CMHA was the first chartered public housing authority in the United States, and it has a mission “to create safe, quality, affordable housing opportunities and improve the quality of life for the communities [we] serve.” The organization houses more than 55,000 low-income residents living in Cuyahoga County. One part of fulfilling that mission happens through the CMHA digital inclusion programs, which provides digital navigation services to residents in several key areas: affordable internet connection options, computing devices, tech support, and digital literacy classes.

Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit

Annie Linskey, Rebecca Ballhaus  |  Wall Street Journal

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay roughly $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its CEO after the social-media platform suspended his accounts following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that year. Of that, $22 million will go toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library, with the rest going to legal fees and the other plaintiffs who signed onto the case. Meta won’t admit wrongdoing. Trump signed the settlement agreement January 29 in the Oval Office. A Meta spokesman confirmed the settlement.

Rep. Lofgren Introduces Targeted Legislation to Combat Foreign Online Piracy That Preserves the Open Internet

Press Release  |  House of Representatives

Rep Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) introduced H.R. 791, the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA), to prevent foreign-run piracy sites from exploiting loopholes in existing law. The introduction of the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act follows months of roundtable discussions and negotiations involving the content and tech communities to ensure the bill does not include undue liabilities and is both feasible and constitutional. The bill: 

  • Targets foreign piracy websites (only). By strictly applying to large-scale, foreign-run piracy sites, the bill ensures that lawful U.S. platforms, mixed-use sites, and independent creators remain unaffected.
  • Respects First Amendment rights. Every blocking order must go through a U.S. court, requiring clear evidence, due process, and judicial oversight to ensure fair enforcement and prevent censorship.
  • Prevents over-blocking and protects legal content. Courts must first verify that any site-blocking order does not interfere with access to lawful material before issuing an order.
  • Allows for feasible tech solutions. Unlike past proposals, the bill does not mandate specific technical measures for blocking. Instead, it allows service providers to determine the best, least intrusive method(s) to comply with court orders, preserving internet stability and security.
  • Provides a narrowly-tailored blocking mechanism. Since orders permitted by the bill are limited to piracy sites that exist solely to infringe copyrights, there would not be overbroad enforcement that could impact legitimate businesses or free expression.
  • Protects service providers from legal liability. Internet service providers, DNS providers, and other intermediaries are shielded from lawsuits as long as they comply in good faith with court-ordered blocking measures.

T-Mobile’s 4th Quarter Results

Press Release  |  T-Mobile

T-Mobile reported fourth quarter and full-year 2024 results. Highlights include:

  • High Speed Internet net customer additions of 428 thousand in Q4 2024 and 1.7 million in 2024, both industry best
  • The company also won awards for the fastest, most consistent, and most available 5G network, alongside highest ranking consumer sentiment and best gaming and mobile video streaming experience from Ookla
  • The company’s end-to-end, high-capacity 5G network continues to differentiate itself from competition and translate into real business outcomes, including a significant contract with the City of New York, including wireless services to be provided to its Public Safety network, which has the highest standards and most complex needs in the country

AT&T Finishes 2024 Strong, Delivering Growth in 5G and Fiber Subscribers

Press Release  |  AT&T

AT&T reported strong fourth-quarter and full-year results that showcased solid momentum in gaining and retaining profitable 5G and fiber subscribers. Highlights include:

  • 482,000 postpaid phone net adds with an expected industry-leading postpaid phone churn of 0.85 percent
  • Mobility service revenues of $16.6 billion, up 3.3 percent year over year
  • 307,000 AT&T Fiber net adds; 200,000, or more, net adds for 20 consecutive quarters
  • Consumer broadband revenues of $2.9 billion, up 7.8 percent year over year

Commerce Nominee Defends Trump Tariffs and Promises Strong Stance on China

Ana Swanson  |  New York Times

Howard Lutnick, a wealthy donor to President Trump who has been chosen to lead the Commerce Department, defended Mr. Trump’s plans to impose broad tariffs and said he would take a tough stance on technology sales to China during his Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Lutnick would lead on trade policy and oversee a broad portfolio of government programs touching on business promotion, technology and science. He told lawmakers that he favored “across-the-board” tariffs that would hit entire countries rather than specific products, to equal out America’s trading relationships. The Commerce Department—which has 51,000 workers and an $11 billion budget—is in charge of promoting business interests abroad, restricting technology exports to protect national security, and delivering subsidies to the semiconductor and broadband industries. It also oversees the U.S. census, patents, weather forecasting, fisheries, and the development of global technological standards, among other functions.

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Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.


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Kevin Taglang

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Benton Institute
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