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  2. December 2021

December 2021

Is New Orleans Trading Internet Access for Corporate Surveillance?

New Orleans (LA) is making an ambitious bid to deliver WiFi to the homes of its poorest residents. Using “smart,” electronic streetlights as nodes, it wants to establish a new citywide internet service, one that will compete with existing carriers like Cox and AT&T. The city intends to include a free tier for everyone who needs it, a group amounting to at least 16 percent of the population. But the plan is being met with skepticism from the left.

FTC Chair Lina Khan Submits Comments on the CFPB's Inquiry Into Big Tech Platforms

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan submitted comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) concerning their inquiry into Big Tech payment platforms. Khan identified three areas of concern that she hopes can help to inform the CFPB's inquiry:

Beto O’Rourke targets Governor Abbott for vetoing Texas bill to improve rural internet access

As he campaigns in rural Texas, Beto O’Rourke is accusing Gov Greg Abbott (R-TX) of stifling efforts to improve broadband internet access there, even after Abbott prioritized the issue in the regular legislative session earlier in 2021.

87 percent of US Households Get an Internet Service at Home

Eighty-seven percent of US households get an Internet service at home, compared to 83% in 2016 and 69% in 2006.  Broadband accounts for 98% of households with an Internet service at home, and 85% of all households get a broadband Internet service – an increase from 81% in 2016 and 42% in 2006.

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