Stories from Abroad

FarrPoint's International Digital Connectivity Readiness Index (DCRI) measures performance in both digital infrastructure and digital adoption. Overall, the United States ranks joint 2nd in the G7 for Digital Connectivity Readiness. The US ranks 6th in digital infrastructure, leading in 4G and 5G but struggling with broadband and Gigabit coverage. On adoption, it ranks 3rd, excelling in the Digital Economy, innovation and public services but facing challenges with Digital Skills, Security, and affordability. However, the US faces challenges in other aspects of digital adoption.

The UK government has informally consulted telecommunications companies about how to accelerate the rollout of high-speed broadband in blocks of flats as groups race to provide full fibre across the country.

For years, internet company executives rarely faced personal liability in Western democracies for what took place on their platforms. But as law enforcement agencies, regulators and policymakers ramp up scrutiny of online platforms and exchanges, they are increasingly considering when to hold company leaders directly responsible. That shift was punctuated by recent charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov. For now, tech executives have little to fear, with cases like Mr. Durov’s likely to be outliers, experts said.

As students return for a new school year, artificial intelligence is beginning to seep into the classroom. The disruption of teaching by technology is, though, not universally welcomed. As in other fields, AI is in reality unlikely to replace teachers any time soon, and nor should it. Research suggests the best learning is social, involving interaction between teachers and students, and between students themselves.

BT has suffered a blow after Sky chose rival network provider CityFibre as its second broadband partner while the two telecommunications groups compete to roll out full fibre across the country. CityFibre, which is one of dozens of alternative network providers—or “altnets”—said that work was under way to make Sky’s broadband available to people on its network in 2025.

This paper examines the governance models of State aid measures for broadband network deployment in European Union Member States. The research is based on 199 decision letters collected from the European Commission's competition cases database, published between 2003 and 2023. Deploying a theory-driven content analysis approach, the analysis reveals and categorises a variety of governance models.

A public dispute between Elon Musk and the European Union has sharpened concerns in Europe about its ability to wield power over the sprawling social media platform X at a time when disinformation and deepfakes have helped to fuel political discord and an outbreak of UK rioting. Europe has taken a tougher approach to regulating digital platforms than the US, but Musk’s acquisition of X, then called Twitter, almost two years ago has brought the issue into greater focus after he slashed its moderators, restored previously banned accounts and increased his own outspoken posts. The EU’s interna

Starting February 2025, Canada’s largest telephone companies, led by BCE and Telus, must provide smaller rivals with wholesale access to their fiber-optic networks in a bid to foster affordable access to high-quality internet services. The order from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, in essence, makes permanent a temporary order issued in November 2023. At the time, BCE responded with plans to curtail planned capital expenditures for the current fiscal year.

Almost all internet traffic—including Zoom calls, movie streams, emails and social media feeds—reach us via high speed fibre optics laid on the ocean floor.

Although the urban–rural digital divide is a globally common phenomenon, less is known about the social determinants of the digital divide within rural and urban areas. Understanding this relationship is important for assessing the equity implications of telecommunication policy given the ongoing and significant public investment into high speed broadband infrastructure. This paper contributes to this discussion by connecting high speed broadband maps in Ireland to measures of social deprivation constructed from detailed population-wide Irish census data collected in 2022.