Devices

Governor Gavin Newsom signed landmark bipartisan legislation strengthening California’s nation-leading protections for children online and when using artificial intelligence (AI). The new laws strengthen safeguards for companion chatbots, prohibit social media platforms from offering addictive features to users under 16, and expand privacy protections for children. The bills will protect children by:

Apple debuted Apple Watch and iPhone features that could put its mark on the AI era. Apple is aiming to show it can be more private and useful, even as it plays catch-up to the state of the art in AI. In an era where plenty of tech companies are offering AI transcription gadgets that record entire conversations, Apple is making the case for a different approach. Rather than store recorded audio, Apple is transcribing what its microphones pick up, and providing certain highlights back to the user without attribution to specific speakers.

Just over half of U.S. adults say they spend too much time on their smartphone. About a third of adults say their smartphone use is about right, while just 3% say they spend too little time using these devices. Younger adults stand out for describing their smartphone use as excessive. Seven-in-ten adults under 30 say they spend too much time on it, as do about two-thirds of those ages 30 to 49.

For low-income Americans, the Lifeline program is not merely a discount—it is essential access infrastructure. With 91% of subscribers preferring mobile wireless service with hotspot capability over fixed broadband, it is clear that mobility is a functional requirement, not a preference, for this population. The current benefit level supports incremental use but falls short of providing the sustained connectivity needed for full, consistent access to telehealth, remote work, and coursework.

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announces the conditional approval of two additional Cybersecurity Label Administrators for the Federal Communications Commission’s voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for consumer wireless Internet of Things products and reiterates program obligations. The Bureau finds that the following entities meet the Commission’s program criteria and requirements and conditionally approves each to serve as a CLA:

The Federal Communications Commission proposes to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of certain previously authorized equipment that has been determined to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons”. Such prohibitions would apply to the advertising, distribution, and sale of such equipment. In particular, we propose to apply such prohibitions to certain communications and video surveillance equipment listed in section 1709 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Aut

As artificial intelligence becomes abundant, the most important question will be how we direct it. Some argue that superintelligence itself or a small set of experts who control it should decide what is best for humanity. We disagree. The history of democracy and economics has shown that there is no single objective answer to how people define the best life, and therefore the best approach is letting people decide what matters in their own lives. We believe that delivering superintelligence to everyone is the way to answer this question.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to launch a proceeding to explore new avenues for enabling innovative unlicensed wireless devices to communicate directly with satellites.

Nearly 80 percent of school districts issue kindergarteners, first-graders and second-graders devices or allow them to bring them from home. Screens are 

On June 25, 2026, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking comment on a wide array of questions about how to update the E-Rate program to reflect how schools and students actually use the Internet.  This item is part of the FCC’s “top-to-bottom” review of all Universal Service Fund programs to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The E-Rate program was created in an era when many schools and libraries lacked access to the Internet, or service would be too expensive for schools to purchase themselves.