Internet Access

Lawmakers Go to School on Wi-Fi and Urge Online Privacy Rights

The Senate also finally passed a bill to change the name of DHS’ cybersecurity agency.

  • By Jack Corrigan and Joseph Marks

Senators, Providers Criticize ‘Unpredictable’ FCC Funding for Rural Broadband

“Cutting [Universal Service Fund] support cuts the legs out of the business case for rural broadband in many places,” said one telecom CEO.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Broadband Access Lags on Tribal Lands, Study Finds

More than a third of Americans residing on tribal land lack high-speed internet access.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Seattle Prepares to Challenge FCC Over ‘Misguided’ 5G Order

Other cities are expected to join the effort.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
English computer scientist Tim Berners Lee English computer scientist Tim Berners Lee

The Web Is Broken, So Its Founder Is Taking Another Stab at It

Tim Berners-Lee believes people should control their own data.

  • By Thu-Huong Ha, Quartz

FCC Approves New Rule To Limit Local Authority In 5G Rollout

Proponents said the order will insure that delivery of faster wireless service occurs in more areas more quickly, but a key opponent called it “extraordinary federal overreach.”

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Silicon Valley’s Internet of the Future is Just as Censored as China’s Firewall

Will the internet’s town square be like Tiananmen Square?

  • By An Xiao Mina, Quartz

DHS Needs to Define Network Disruptions Before It Can Fight Them

Agencies have different definition of what an outage is and that matters.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Homeland Security Invests $11.6 Million in Countering Large-Scale Internet Outages

The grants are focused on the effect outages could have on critical infrastructure.

  • By Joseph Marks

As Google Plans To Re-Enter China, Lawmakers Have Concerns

The tech giant originally left China eight years ago due to censorship concerns.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Will Electric Co-ops Close the Digital Divide?

The Federal Communications Commission seems to think they’re part of the solution.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Thousands of Miles of Internet Cables Could Be Underwater by 2033

Rising sea levels could threaten internet access for millions of people, according to a recent study.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
Texas National Guard and first responders working together to assist with emergency operations. Heavy rains from hurricane Harvey caused many floods near Houston Aug. 29, 2017. Texas National Guard and first responders working together to assist with emergency operations. Heavy rains from hurricane Harvey caused many floods near Houston Aug. 29, 2017.

FirstNet to Offer Emergency Drop Kits Creating a ‘Connected Bubble’ to First Responders

AT&T’s team is also working with states to get a liaison in every emergency operations center.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
Visitors use their smartphones in front of a booth for Google at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Visitors use their smartphones in front of a booth for Google at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing, Thursday, April 27, 2017.

Google Search Might Return to China’s Internet, and Some Users Can Hardly Wait

If Google does relaunch its search engine in China, it will end up compliant with some of the world’s most restrictive policies on freedom of information.

  • By Josh Horwitz, Quartz

Google Is Boosting Internet Access in Nigeria’s Biggest Cities With Free Public Wi-Fi

While these projects are couched as moves to help more Africans come online, they are also plays to increase revenue.

  • By Yomi Kazeem, Quartz

Urban Broadband Needs Upgrading, Too

Digital redlining denies as many city residents access to the internet as it does rural Americans in some states, an advocacy group says.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
A Project Loon balloon. A Project Loon balloon.

Google’s High-Altitude Internet Balloons Could Soon Connect Rural Kenya

If implemented, the project could have the potential of extending online connectivity to thousands of people across Kenya.

  • By Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz

State Sales Tax Collections Finally Move Into the Internet Age

The Supreme Court's ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair scraps a precedent that dates back to the heyday of mail order catalogs.

  • By Bill Lucia

Mozilla Is Developing a Voice-Controlled Browser

"Hey, open a new tab!"

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

DISA Plans to Change How Pentagon Employees Browse the Internet

Officials are looking to isolate the internet from agency networks by pushing web browsing to the cloud.

  • By Jack Corrigan