Digital Content

Disney will pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company allowed personal data to be collected from children who viewed kid-directed videos on YouTube without notifying parents or obtaining their consent as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. The 

A federal judge on Tuesday barred Alphabet’s Google from paying to be the exclusive search engine on devices and browsers but declined to order more drastic changes that the company had opposed. The judge didn’t bar Google from making payments for distribution of its products, saying such a move would harm downstream partners. He also declined to require other remedies sought by the Justice Department, such as divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the product of high-speed computer analysis of vast data sets that results in predictive guidance for users. It can be used across a wide range of industries and applications, including broadband network management; medicine and health care; writing and content creation; and customer  service support. AI represents both an opportunity and challenge for rural broadband providers and the communities they serve. AI promises efficiencies and other gains but also implicates privacy, data security  and labor market considerations.

America has long led the world in innovation, technological advancement, and design.  But with a sprawling ecosystem of digital services offered to Americans, the Government has lagged behind in usability and aesthetics.  There is a high financial cost to maintaining legacy systems, to say nothing of the cost in time lost by the American public trying to navigate them.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent letters to more than a dozen prominent technology companies reminding them of their obligations to protect the privacy and data security of American consumers despite pressure from foreign governments to weaken such protections. He also warned them that censoring Americans at the behest of foreign powers might violate the law.

There’s a lot of good news for the broadband ecosystem in OpenVault’s report on the industry during the second quarter of 2025. The firm found that average subscriber usage hit 664.2 GB, super power users—those who consume more than two terabytes per month—increased by 5%. Monthly average consumption during the second quarter was 664.2 GB, a 13.4% increase over the 585.8 GB recorded in the second quarter of 2024. Total consumption increased 1.0 GB between the first to the second quarter.

Young people today are navigating mental health challenges in a time of constant digital connection. Social media and digital technology are woven into nearly every aspect of their daily lives. For rural young people, experiences with mental health, social media, and help-seeking are shaped by a mix of isolation and opportunity.

Alphabet’s Google has offered to change terms and conditions for developers using its Play Store in a bid to stave off a potential fine under European Union tech rules. Google said it would alter fees it charges developers for app downloads and make it easier to lead users to deals and offers outside of its own app store. However, at the same time, the company warned that links leading outside the Play Store can expose users to security threats.

Access to education, resources, and training will determine who will understand how societal use of artificial intelligence (AI) will impact them, and who will be able to safely and effectively leverage AI tools. Without AI literacy, an individual may be unable to identify or challenge unfair practices, be more susceptible to AI-aided scams, unprepared to vet answers produced by AI, unable to protect personal information, or spend time and effort working inefficiently because they do not know how to leverage AI tools.

You could easily live without Artificial Intelligence. But AI wouldn't exist without you. So does AI owe you for your small part in creating it? First, the facts.