Devices

Thirty-three New Mexico schools and districts will use $385,785 in state grants to buy lockable phone pouches, device lockers and network controls designed to support safe and focused connectivity during the school day. The funding comes from the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion’s (OBAE) Wireless Communication Device Policy Implementation Grant (WCDPIG) program, a joint effort with the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED), to curb screen time during instructional hours and support educational use of technology.

Digitunity recently released its National Computer Ownership Index, a new benchmark tracking computer ownership across the United States using American Community Survey data. The Index finds that 32.9 million people in the U.S. lack access to a large-screen computer, including 25.8 million who rely exclusively on smartphones. While overall computer access has improved since 2016, the findings highlight persistent gaps in access to the devices needed for employment, education, healthcare, and other essential activities.

The Federal Communications Commission recently banged the gavel and closed out our first spectrum auction in nearly 4 years. Bringing that one home was part of a broader effort we are undertaking to reinvigorate the agency’s work on a wide range of spectrum matters. This month, we’re continuing to push ahead with a packed agenda—from kicking off the process for another spectrum auction to supercharging wireless competition and making more good progress on national security, consumer protection, and rural broadband.

Nearly 75 percent of school districts in North Carolina report they don't have a sustainable funding source to maintain their fleet of computers, including student devices like Chromebooks. North Carolina public schools collectively spent more than $6.6 million last school year to repair broken computers. That's according to a new report, the first of its kind, by the Department of Public Instruction that was presented to the State Board of Education.

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.

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: