Reporting

In the wake of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the subject of allowing Ligado to operate a 5G service adjacent to GPS spectrum (a hearing that saw the Federal Communications Commission hammered by legislators, military brass, and even iconic pilot Sully Sullenberger), almost two dozen bipartisan members of the House Armed Services Committee have written to the FCC to express their "deep concern."  Lead signatories on the letter include Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chairman Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Ranking Member Michael Turner (R-OH)  They said that while Ligado has argued that D

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that USDA is investing $71 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Kansas and Oklahoma. This funding is part of USDA’s round one investments through the ReConnect Pilot Program.

During the Great Depression, people waited in bread lines for sustenance. In today's economic crisis, the internet is often the pathway for relief. Online is where people try to keep or find work. How they see their doctor or apply for jobless benefits. How they order food and supplies. Where they find solace through faith, or laughter through entertainment.

House Democrats are pushing to include more than $1 billion in the next economic relief package to help pay low-income Americans’ broadband bills. Democrats are said to be considering whether to distribute the aid through the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program, which provides monthly discounts of $9.25 for about 7 million low-income subscribers, or through a new broadband subsidy program. The push is aimed at helping millions of low-income Americans and newly unemployed workers afford internet services to help them stay connected with family, look for jobs, and continue sc

House Democrats are putting the finishing touches on their next legislative response to the coronavirus pandemic, a package that will propose another massive round of aid just as President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are urging caution on quickly passing new spending. The bill being drafted by Democratic leadership is expected to include more than $750 billion in aid to state and local governments, as well as another round of direct support to Americans. House Democrats also want to increase access to coronavirus testing, send money toward vote-by-mail programs and the Postal Servic

Social-media usage is blowing up, but will it crash when real-life invitations start flooding back in?

Google’s parent abandoned plans to develop a “smart city” in a Toronto neighborhood, a controversial project that once embodied the tech giant’s futuristic ambitions. The move is the highest-profile example yet of retrenchment by Alphabet under new Chief Executive Sundar Pichai. The Toronto project, under Alphabet arm Sidewalk Labs, was a favorite of Google co-founder Larry Page, who held the CEO role until December. Sidewalk Labs cited economic uncertainty and pressure on the local real-estate market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Baltimore (MD), nearly one-quarter of households lack internet access at home and 18% lack access to a device. The Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition includes 50 organizations from across the city to address the digital divide that has existed in Baltimore for years, but is being exacerbated in a time when school and work often require device and internet connectivity at home, and gathering points that would provide access like schools and community centers are closed.

Liberty Global and Telefónica have struck a landmark deal to combine their British operations O2 and Virgin Media in a £31.4bn agreement that will reshape the UK’s telecoms market. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will have equal ownership of O2 and Virgin Media and have built-in mechanisms for a potential float of the combined business in three years.

Relations between the US and China, strained for years, have deteriorated at a rapid clip in recent months, leaving the two nations with fewer shared interests and a growing list of conflicts. The Trump administration has moved to involve much of the US government in a campaign that includes investigations, prosecutions and export restrictions.