Level of Government

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment results from the state of Texas were finally published for comment, revealing that the state tapped SpaceX's Starlink as the single-largest internet service provider winner by number of locations. Texas will award SpaceX $108.8 million to reach 63,963 of the state's 240,200 broadband serviceable locations with low-Earth orbit satellite. The state chose to spend just $1.3 billion of its original $3.3 billion BEAD allocation.

New research released by Digitunity explores the key role devices play in bridging the digital divide. Since 2013, the Census Bureau has asked three questions in the American Community Survey related to computer and internet use, focused on the type of computing device used (if any), if the household is connected to the internet, and via what type of internet connection. One in seven households either have no computer at all or rely only on a smartphone for internet access. While smartphones provide convenient internet access and can be more portable and affordable than computers, they lack

When the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program was signed into law promising to deliver “Internet for All,” we believed it wouldn’t be enough to connect each and every community. As broadband offices across the country rose to the challenge, we were ready to be proved wrong. But in June, the federal government changed the rules—giving states 90 days to cut costs and redo their plans.

The opposing camps in the latest spectrum fracas are both claiming to have the Trump administration on their side. Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE) said both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen Dan Caine have told her that they “understand” and support her proposal to give the Pentagon more power to block auctions of Pentagon airwaves. But Commerce Committee Chair Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) is pointing to a White House policy statement opposing the provision to say President Donald Trump doesn’t want the new restrictions enacted. “I expect that Congress will respect President

The White House and Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot, are in a war of words over AI regulation.

The 49 states that have reported their tentative Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program awards are collectively $20 billion under budget, according to data posted by state broadband offices. That’s nearly half of the program’s $42.45 billion in funding. Those results are not set in stone, as the Commerce Department needs to approve preliminary results before contracts can be signed with grant winners.

The Trump administration revised the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in June to shift from a fiber-focused program to a tech-neutral one prioritizing low costs.

Rejecting opposition from the cable and real estate industries, California Gov Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a bill that aims to increase broadband competition in apartment buildings.

Most state and territorial broadband offices have completed subgrantee selections for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program last-mile connectivity projects and submitted their final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The Federal Communications Commission announced the initial success of “Operation Clean Carts.”  Federal law prohibits the sale or marketing of certain electronic equipment—including certain devices produced by Chinese entities like Huawei, ZTE, Dahua, and Hikvision—that the FCC has placed on the agency’s Covered List due to national security determinations.  Nonetheless, many online retailers and e-commerce sites have continued to sell, or allowed third-parties to sell, those devices.