Broadband Roundup: Twitter Tags Another Trump Tweet as ‘Abusive’, New Apple Lock-in Features, North Carolina Funding

June 24, 2020 – Twitter placed an additional notice of rule violation on one of President Donald Trump‘s tweets Tuesday.

The tweet warns that protesters attempting to erect an autonomous zone in Washington, D.C. will be “met with serious force!” A label placed above the tweet reads that the tweet “violated the Twitter Rules about abusive behavior,” but that the website “has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”

A screenshot of Trump’s tweet.

Twitter has placed warning labels of several of Trump’s other tweets that violate their policies. Trump hit back earlier this month by signing an executive order that would roll back the company’s legal protections.

Apple unveils new features, may undercut rivals

Apple unveiled several new features already utilized by competing services in its new operating systems that it announced Tuesday, CNET reported.

The update will offer the ability to make several message threads within a single conversation and notify specific individuals simply by writing their name. These features are already at use in programs like Google Chat and Slack, but iMessage’s virtual ubiquity may draw usage away from the platforms.

The company also announced broadened functionality of its “Sign in With Apple” feature, which allows users to create accounts and sign up for other programs using a single key. 

Some see the moves as part of Apple’s continued effort to make their products interoperable and wall-off functionality with competitors.

Apple also announced a move away from Intel processors in its line of Mac computers, saying that using homegrown processors offers better graphics, faster speeds, and lower power usage.

North Carolina House passes $30 million broadband funding bill

The North Carolina House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that provides an additional $30 million to develop broadband infrastructure in the state, the Progressive Pulse reported.

The additional funding for the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology grant is aimed at supporting funding the state received through the CARES Act.

In a report, Broadband Now found that North Carolina is 18th in the state for broadband access, with some counties’ connectivity rates as low as 22.8 percent.

Rural areas “are being left behind,” said Stan Fendley, Director of Legislative and Regulatory Policy for Corning Inc.

“A wholesale replacement of U.S. telecom infrastructure is occurring,” he said, but “many rural areas still lack basic 25/3 [25 Megabits per second (Mbps) down, 3 Mbps up] service.”

The bill is now headed to the state senate.