Monday, September 28, 2026
Headlines Daily Digest
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An Evolving Digital Divide: Measuring and Understanding Mobile-Dependent Households
Broadband Funding
Digital Divide
State & Local
FCC
AI
Company News
Maverix Broadband pushed back on claims the company has misused millions of dollars in public funding that resulted in the Colorado Broadband Office freezing all projects linked to the company, including rescinding a federal grant for more than $100 million. The report caught the Parker-based internet provider off guard because they had been responding and providing hundreds of documents to state officials for months, said David Lindauer, the company’s cofounder. In a 22-page response shared with The Colorado Sun, the company said it “disputes every calculation, determination and finding in the Comprehensive Monitoring Report dated September 21, 2026.”
Despite unprecedented broadband investment, the share of U.S. households relying solely on cellular data and mobile devices, or mobile-dependent households, increased from 11.9 to 14.1 percent between 2019 and 2024. This report introduces the MDH concept, which captures the "double whammy" of limited data and limited screen size, and examines its determinants before and after the COVID-19 pandemic using Census tract-level data. Results indicate that the share of the population with any disability, households with a lack of internet access, income, educational attainment, and homeownership are among the strongest factors associated with mobile dependence, with several associations shifting in strength post-pandemic. As communities implement Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment-funded broadband projects, these findings suggest that connecting households is insufficient if that connectivity comes through the most constrained pathway available.
Maine Connectivity Authority to Announce $311,761 in Digital Resilience Grants at Statewide Digital Opportunity Workshop
Maine Connectivity Authority will host Maine’s 4th annual Digital Opportunity Workshop on Friday, October 2, bringing together digital opportunity practitioners, nonprofit leaders, and municipal and regional staff from across the state as part of national Digital Opportunity Week. The half-day session will be held at SeniorsPlus in Lewiston (ME) and aims to strengthen implementation, encourage shared learning, and build momentum, especially as new funding opportunities become available. During the workshop, MCA will announce the recipients of its Digital Resilience Grant Program, awarding a total of $311,761 to seven projects that will help Maine residents navigate the digital world safely while reducing their exposure to cyber threats, fraud, and misinformation. The awarded projects span 13 counties and include two statewide initiatives, reflecting a diverse range of approaches: two projects in the capacity-building track and five focused on community education. This year's grant recipients are Aroostook County Action Program; Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; give IT. get IT.; McArthur Library; Millinocket Memorial Library; Somerset Economic Development Corporation; and Sunrise County Economic Council.
Sen Wyden Warns an All-Republican FCC Could Violate Federal Law and Cause Partisan FCC Actions to be Overturned in Court
Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez to issue a legal opinion addressing whether the Communications Act permits the Federal Communications Commission to legally operate with members from a single political party. He wrote, "As you know, President Trump recently nominated Danielle Thumann Severs to be an FCC Commissioner. If confirmed, she would become the third Republican commissioner on the FCC, with you as the sole Democrat. Because the Communications Act sets a quorum at three members, there is speculation that the President intends to fire you once she is confirmed, attempting to run the agency with an all-Republican 3-0 panel."
Sens Bennet, Welch Release Proposal to Establish New Federal Agency to Prevent Catastrophic AI Risk, Regulate Big Tech
Sens Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Peter Welch (D-VT) announced a new proposal building off of their landmark legislation to create a new independent federal agency to regulate frontier artificial intelligence models and social media. The AI Regulator Act would require pre-certification for frontier AI models, delay the public release of any AI model that could pose catastrophic risks without necessary safeguards, and issue formal rulemakings able to keep pace with the speed of innovation. It could also conduct investigations, engage in research, and impose penalties of up to 15 percent of a firm’s prior-year global revenue. These new authorities add to the proposed Federal Digital Commission longstanding remit to regulate the largest digital platforms, and ensure that a dedicated agency is empowered to protect Americans from catastrophic AI risk, safeguard our kids online, reduce harmful market concentration, and prevent national and economic security risks.
Meta is seeking to make privacy protections a centerpiece of new products including its viral assistant Muse, marking a major shift for a company built on extensive use of customer data. Meta, whose privacy policy once allowed it nearly unfettered access to use almost everything people did with Meta AI (in almost any way it wanted), has made a significant shift in recent months to put privacy at the center of its AI strategy. With Muse, which appears to be on a path to becoming one of the most popular AI hits since ChatGPT, the company is offering all customers their own personal virtual machine. A soon-to-be-available option would ensure that even Meta won't have access to the data.
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) and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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