Vox

Aerospace startup Swarm Technologies, which has grand ambitions of providing low-cost internet connectivity with 100 tiny satellites and which infamously launched four satellites without a federal license in Jan, has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to launch a new crop of satellites later in 2018. The approval comes while the FCC is still deciding whether to take any retaliatory action against Swarm for the unauthorized January launch.

In the past, Wi-Fi versions were identified by a letter or a pair of letters that referred to a wireless standard. The current version is 802.11ac, but before that, we had 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11a, and 802.11b. It was not comprehensible, so the Wi-Fi Alliance — the group that stewards the implementation of Wi-Fi — is changing it. All of those convoluted codenames are being changed. So instead of the current Wi-Fi being called 802.11ac, it’ll be called Wi-Fi 5 (because it’s the fifth version). 

CA just passed the toughest state-level network neutrality law in the nation, and within hours, the Department of Justice sued the state to block the law from going into effect. It’s the start of a new chapter in the fight for net neutrality, as the federal government works hand in hand with the telecom industry to stop a wave of state-level net neutrality protections. But legal experts said that the effort to remove states from the consumer protection equation rests on shaky legal ground and may only buy the telecom sector time rather than rolling back the law completely.

Verizon became the first major Internet service provider to launch 5G home internet service. But, is this really 5G? The answer is sort of.