Devices

Exactly 150 years ago, Alexander Graham Bell made the world’s first phone call. “Come here,” he shouted into the fuzzy, one-way phone line at his partner Thomas Watson. “I want you!” (He had spilled acid on himself.) With these words, he sparked a revolution in ordinary life. As the telephone spread, people could call for help when their home caught on fire, talk to a doctor if their child was sick or simply speak with someone more than a block away.

I've written a lot recently about the impact of AI on broadband. There are other, more subtle, impacts from the AI boom. One of the unexpected issues is the sudden shortage of electricians in regions where AI data centers are being constructed. Electricians are needed during the massive effort to wire a new data center used for AI.

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Infiltrating phone apps has become an increasingly common practice, both for propaganda and surveillance. Hacking a phone app can be more effective than trying to tap into a computer, according to Nicholas Reese, former director of emerging technology policy at the Department of Homeland Security. People generally store more personal information on their phones, often without realizing it. Accessing a computer typically requires infiltrating popular cloud services, which have sophisticated and standardized security protections.

The Oregon Broadband Office has launched the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Digital Connectivity Technology Program, making $6.8 million available to expand access to internet-enabled devices and public Wi-Fi infrastructure across Oregon. Funded through the U.S.

States, territories, and their communities that lack sufficient internet access have been wondering what will happen to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program's "nondeployment funds"—funds left over after a state meets BEAD’s infrastructure deployment goals.

Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Reps Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) introduced the Fair Repair Act, legislation to guarantee consumers and small businesses a right to repair their own products by requiring manufacturers to make diagnostic repair information, parts, and tools readily available. Currently, many electronics manufacturers require that repairs, or parts to complete a repair, be made by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) itself or through one of their authorized vendors, making the process costly and burdensome for consumers.

Girl Scouts of the USA is sounding the alarm: more than half (56%) of girls, ages 5 to 13, are spending time online to fight boredom, with many (52%) feeling overlooked as parents remain glued to their own devices. New research released today highlights the need for families to reset digital habits and model healthier online behavior. There is pressure and a pull to be online because girls don’t want to miss out, but they’re also online because they’re bored.

For the 1 in 10 people in the United States who don’t own a computer, accessing government services has become increasingly difficult. As services move increasingly online, residents without a computer and reliable internet service are locked out of essential systems. Tasks that were once handled in person now assume access to digital tools that many individuals simply do not have. Federal policy is accelerating this shift.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an Order to enhance unlicensed use in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band. The FCC will create a new category of unlicensed devices—geofenced variable power devices—that can operate both indoors and outdoors at higher power than previously authorized devices. This action enables consumers to benefit from supercharged Wi-Fi and a new generation of wireless devices—from Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality and Internet of Things to a range of innovative smart devices.