Partnering with counties is an asset for electric co-operatives seeking capital for the matching requirement in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, said an expert. Darren Farnan, chief operating officer of rural electric co-op United Fiber. He said that Missouri counties used Capital Project Fund (CPF) and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) money to help with the co-op’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) application. Counties have the same goal as co-ops to connect every address to high-speed internet, said Farnan. He said that many counties will work with co-ops to help them in their applications for more federal funding. Additionally, electric co-ops entering into the broadband space can use community buildouts as a funding mechanism, said Farnan. Electric co-ops have an advantage to traditional internet service providers in that they can guarantee financing a letter of credit because they are accustomed to long-term builds like fiber projects, noted Farnan, saying that his co-op is in a “favorable position” to handle the requirements that come with the BEAD program. He added that banks are seeing success in co-ops providing broadband and are more willing to finance these programs.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Connecting Our Neighbors to Networks and Ensuring Competitive Telecommunications (CONNECT) Act of 2023 to reform the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. The CONNECT Act makes it easier for small providers to apply to this program, and ensures federal funding reaches rural communities faster by shortening required permitting deadlines. Millions of rural Americans continue to lack adequate access to the internet, where the costs of connection can be high and existing service too slow or expensive to be of much use. While the ReConnect Loan and Grant program provides broadband funding for eligible rural areas, the application process can be complicated and prohibitively expensive for small providers. Specifically, the CONNECT Act would:

• Establish an Office of Technical Assistance to aid eligible providers with application forms;
• Create a Mini-Grant Program offering grants up to $20,000 for small providers;
• Prioritize applications from local governments, nonprofit organizations, or cooperatives;
• Designate rural areas that receive broadband service via non-wireline technology as eligible for ReConnect funding;
• Shorten certain permitting deadlines for USDA-funded broadband projects from 270 to 180 days;
• Create an interagency Broadband Council to recommend uniform speed and application requirements for federal programs; and
• Expand federal easements for certain electric utilities to enable them to lease existing fiber capacity. 

Broadband plays a pivotal role in facilitating essential activities for residents and fostering societal advancements across various domains, including economic development, healthcare, public safety, government services, and education. The federal government is embarking on an unprecedented investment in broadband, allocating over $100 billion nationwide. Notably, Colorado is set to receive a substantial share of this funding, amounting to $826.5 million dedicated to Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) initiatives over the next five years. The primary objective of the Five-Year Action Plan is to establish a solid framework that aligns seamlessly with future Initial and Final Proposals mandated by the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA). This proposal is integral to the successful implementation of the BEAD Program, should draw inspiration from, complement, and build upon the strategic directions outlined in Colorado’s Five-Year Action Plan. This symbiotic relationship ensures a cohesive and progressive approach to expanding universal broadband access in Colorado. Through the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Colorado has access to funding resources to bridge the digital divide. Based on this opportunity, the Five-Year Action Plan includes specific goals and recommendations. The implementation of these goals can be found in detail in the Implementation Section of the plan. The Five-Year Action Plan recommends the following goals to achieve universal coverage:

• Goal One: Build a network for future generations.
• Goal Two: Expand digital inclusion and adoption to achieve affordability, access, and digital literacy.
• Goal Three: Enable Colorado to thrive by fostering and supporting a digital economy.
• Goal Four: Strengthen resilience across Colorado communities through broadband.

AT&T, which was the second biggest spender in the Federal Communications Commission's C-band auction in 2021, is taking advantage of the satellite companies’ early clearing of the band to access its full C-band spectrum holdings. AT&T has been deploying a combination of C-band and 3.45 GHz across the country, with its 5G network mid-band network now covering more than 175 million people. AT&T’s nationwide 5G network, which includes low-band spectrum, covers about 290 million people. AT&T said it’s now doubling its available C-band spectrum for deployment. Specifically, AT&T now has access to a minimum 100 megahertz of total mid-band spectrum in the contiguous US and an average of 120 megahertz nationwide; that’s bandwidth in every available city, or 406 locations in total.

Years after a lawsuit alleged Apple was adding software that slowed down older iPhones, the tech giant has agreed to pay a settlement worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Cotchett, Pitre & McCarty, one of the firms representing Apple customers in the suit, announced Aug. 9, 2023, that the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals dismissed two appeals from people challenging the settlement. Apple has agreed to pay a minimum of $310 million and up to $500 million in compensation for approximately 100 million iPhone users, in what the firm is calling the "largest-all cash recovery in a computer intrusion case in history." Between December 2017 and June 2018, there were 66 class action lawsuits filed against Apple alleging this issue, including that Apple deliberately slowed down battery performance of older iPhones with iOS updates. Payments will be distributed to people who filed claims before the October 2020 deadline and owned one of these phones:

• iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S Plus and/or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before Dec. 21, 2017,
• iPhone 7 or 7Plus that ran iOS 11.2 or later before Dec. 21, 2017.

Comcast becomes the first internet service provider to offer a product designed to maintain connectivity when a storm hits, trees are down, or a customer experiences a local outage, with the launch of Storm-Ready WiFi. With severe weather impacting many parts of the country, there has never been a greater need for a back-up connectivity solution. The Storm-Ready WiFi solution is equipped with cellular back-up enabling customers to work and stream without interruption. The device doubles as a WiFi extender and delivers a strong Wi-Fi signal to hard-to-reach corners of the home.