Wireless Internet

Astound Broadband is expanding its mobile offering, dubbed Astound Mobile, to about four million customers in 12 states the company currently serves.

The recommendations in this report focus on the Federal Communications Commission's Community Equity and Diversity Council's mission of “advancing equity in the provision of access to digital communication services and products for all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, location, sex or disability.

Free Apartment Wi-Fi networks are the most cost-effective strategy for states to close the digital divide. Twenty to twenty-five percent of the digital divide is concentrated in affordable multi-dwelling units (MDU). By allocating less than 18% of their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds to deploy hotel-style Wi-Fi networks in these buildings, states can quickly and cost effectively impact the digital divide for millions of unconnected households.

The Federal Communications Commission Privacy and Data Protection Task Force announced new rules to protect consumers against scams that aim to commandeer their cell phone accounts. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared the new rules with her colleagues for their consideration.

During a stop in Minnesota in June 2023, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo made a promise: The $652 million earmarked for Minnesota to help build infrastructure for rural high-speed internet would be enough to finally cover every part of the state. Is that true? It depends, it turns out, on how you define a finished job. When calculating who has access to proper broadband, the federal government counts much slower internet speeds compared to Minnesota’s definition.

There is one mapping issue that unfortunately messed up the count of eligible passings for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program grants and that is going to be a real concern. Both T-Mobile and Verizon have activated rural cell sites that can deliver home broadband using licensed spectrum that can be 100/20 Mbps or a little faster.

Fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) provider GigFire has acquired Rural Comm, a service provider headquartered in Farina (IL). GigFire, which now operates in ten Midwestern states, was known as LTD Broadband until earlier in 2023.

Charlie Ergen is looking to merge the two halves of his telecom empire, Dish and EchoStar, a deal that would tilt Dish away from a satellite TV business in decline. Apparently, both companies have engaged advisers to sort through what a deal might look like.

As state and local officials gear up to build fiber networks through Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and other programs, opportunities abound for leveraging various funding to demonstrate how to get the most economic and societal benefits out of their networks, according to US Ignite Co-founder and CEONick Maynard. “Our mission is to help support underserved communities by helping them with their main challenges, but also through economic development or startup and research commercialization challenges,” said Maynard. Going into its second decade of operation, US Ignite curr

T-Mobile’s prepaid brand Metro is conducting a regional marketing campaign in the Midwest, pitching T-Mobile’s fixed wireless access (FWA) product called Home Internet. The promotion advertises the product for a cost of $20 per month, after a $30 per month Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) discount. Typically, T-Mobile’s Home Internet costs $50 per month if the customer signs up for autopay. It costs $55 per month without autopay. But Metro by T-Mobile is focusing on the $30 discount that subscribers can obtain if they apply for ACP.