Local governments and large industry trade groups are not aligned on the idea of wireline permitting reforms. That's not breaking news, but the differences of opinion were newly highlighted in a Federal Communications Commission docket, opened in 2025, soliciting comments and proposing questions about how the FCC 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." Groups like USTelecom and ACA Connects filed comments urging the FCC to implement "reasonable" shot clocks, eliminate non-cost-based fees, and strengthen coordination across states, among other items. But in joint comments filed with the FCC, the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors—collectively dubbed the Local Government Associations—objected to the reforms requested in industry filings, and to the notion that local permitting is problematic.

In 2025, the fiber industry set another record for growth, hitting 11.8 million homes passed according to the latest Fiber Broadband Association research conducted by RVA Market Research & Consulting. Total broadband passings have reached nearly 100 million homes in the United States when you include homes with more than one passing. Taking out the multiple-passings, there are 84.6 million unique addresses that have fiber. But there’s still plenty of upward growth in the years ahead. Consider that Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding, created to connect the unserved and underserved across the nation, just started to be released in the last quarter of 2025. Fiber is the necessary and vital infrastructure for households, communities, and businesses for decades to come, so there’s plenty of greenfield construction that will take place over the next three years as federal funding with local, state, and private contributions starts closing the digital divide. 

[Gary Bolton is President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association]

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) announced the application periods for the Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program and the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program and is encouraging eligible entities to apply. Funded by the Universal Service Fund, these grant programs improve the availability and affordability of telecommunications services to people in Wisconsin. 

• The Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program provides funding to support the purchase of specialized medical telecommunications equipment used to promote technologically advanced medical services, to enhance access to medical care in rural and/or underserved areas of the state, or to enhance access to medical care by underserved populations and/or persons with disabilities. Eligible entities include non-profit medical clinics/hospitals and public health agencies, including Tribal health care facilities or programs. The PSC may award up to $1 million in this grant round. The application period opened on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, and applications are due Wednesday, March 4, 202,6 at 1:30 p.m.
• The Lifeline Outreach Grant Program improves participation in the Lifeline Program, which helps address affordability challenges by providing a discount on essential telecommunication services like internet and phone for low-income households. Nonprofit organizations, community-based agencies, institutions of higher education, local and Tribal governments, and for-profit businesses are all eligible to apply for this grant program. The PSC may award up to $250,000 this grant round. The application period opens on Monday, January 12, 2026, and applications are due on Wednesday, March 11, 202,6 at 1:30 p.m. 

2025 was another costly year of natural disasters in the U.S.—from the LA wildfires to the Texas floods. The first half of the year alone was the most costly on record, totaling over $101 billion. Beyond damage in dollars, communities were upended, and livelihoods disrupted, exposing the need for stronger disaster preparedness and resiliency. While first responders rush to the scene and utility crews restore water and power, another critical, often overlooked group supports both the impacted residents and the crews themselves. After the Storm, a short film documentary produced by The Internet & Television Association, highlights the broadband technicians and network recovery teams in these increasingly volatile weather patterns. “The work of restoring broadband after a disaster is demanding, but it’s also profoundly meaningful,” the film’s producer, Brian Dietz, told Broadband Nation. He described the documentary as an illustration of broadband infrastructure’s critical support “woven into every aspect of modern life,” especially during emergencies. “Connectivity enables hospitals to coordinate care; families to reconnect; communities to rebuild," he said. Yet despite the infrastructure and industry’s value—both economically and socially—power and water remain the key funding focuses in emergency response readiness, according to Dietz. Broadband sits “just outside [these] formal frameworks.”

The Federal Communications Commission announced a settlement agreement with satellite and earth-station operator Marlink for violating the terms of national security and law enforcement commitments made to the U.S. government. As the FCC often does with licenses, the FCC conditioned Marlink’s license on compliance with the terms of a mitigation agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of an interagency committee known informally as “Team Telecom.” Marlink violated those terms by allowing foreign employees to access U.S. communications infrastructure and customer information without seeking prior approval from the DOJ as required under the agreement. Thanks to a DOJ referral, for the first time ever, the FCC enforced the terms of a Team Telecom mitigation agreement, getting Marlink to pay a voluntary contribution and adopt a compliance plan.

OpenAI is expanding its capabilities by adding a dedicated health tab to ChatGPT, allowing people to bring in electronic medical records and other data from apps like Apple Health and MyFitnessPal. Seeking answers for health-related queries is already a top use of ChatGPT, with more than 40 million people using it daily for medical and health insurance questions. Even before the introduction of the dedicated tab, people have been flocking to ChatGPT to make sense of lab tests, navigate health insurance claims, and figure out what is causing various symptoms. The new feature, dubbed ChatGPT Health, aims to expand on what's already being done in chats by allowing users to connect to other apps and data sources. OpenAI says that information shared in the health tab won't be used in other types of chats and that people can easily view and delete their health-related "memories." A small group will test the feature first. Those interested in access to the health features can sign up for a waitlist, while OpenAI says it plans to make the health tab available to all users on the web and iOS in the coming weeks.