Policyband
ACP Fraudster, 25, Looking at 40 Years Behind Bars after Pleading Guilty
Accused cheated $741,000 from low-income broadband program by submitting false addresses to claim the $75 tribal rate instead of the normal $30 monthly reimbursement
Ted Hearn
Ted Hearn is Managing Editor for Broadband Breakfast. He is also Editor and Publisher of Policyband, a website dedicated to comprehensive coverage of the broadband communications market.
Policyband
Study Shows ISPs Kicked in $11.4 billion in BEAD Matching Funds, Topping 25% Legal Minimum by 12 Percentage Points
Internet providers have pledged $11.4 billion in matching funds — 37% of project costs and well above the program’s 25% minimum
Policyband
Is Fiber the Right Technology for Alaska? GCI Rushing to Fix New Subsea Fiber Tear in the Aleutians
GCI is also buying Quintillion, which suffered a fiber break in the Beaufort Sea in 2025 that could not be repaired for nine months because of freezing conditions in the Arctic region
Policyband
FCC's Carr Sends a Warning: ‘No Broadcaster Has a Right to Use the Public Spectrum'
The FCC in a Public Notice emphasized that TV station programming must serve local communities, not national broadcast TV networks
Policyband
Phoenix Center Rips Chattanooga's Claim Its City-Owned Broadband Had Big Economic Impact
“Much of the Chattanooga municipal broadband network was, and in part continues to be, financed by U.S. taxpayers and EPB’s captive electric ratepayers,” Phoenix's Chief Economist George S. Ford says
Policyband
American Airlines, Joining Rivals United and Southwest, Agrees to Install Starlink in 2027
'The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight,' said American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden.
Policyband
Nebraska Reopens BEAD Bidding after a Few ISPs Refused to Sign Their Contracts
State officials did not identify the ISPs that walked away as the Nebraska Broadband Office now attempts to find new service providers to connect nearly 1,700 locations
Policyband
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to Sign 'Junk Fees' Bill That Exempts Broadband ISPs, Cable TV, and Satellite TV
'Illinois consumers have been nickel-and-dimed out of thousands of dollars per year by unnecessary and deceptive junk fees,' Pritzker said in a statement announcing his support for the bill
Policyband
NTIA Spokesperson: ‘Extremely Disappointing’ to See Wisconsin Spend $60 Million on Locations Already Funded by BEAD
NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth’s team calls out Gov. Tony Evers (D) for saying Tuesday that BEAD left 30,000 Wisconsin locations unserved
Policyband
DIRECTV Wants Scripps-INYO TV Deal Blocked over 39% Cap Violation
Locking arms with six state cable trade associations, the satellite TV operator says Scripps would reach 40.29% of U.S. TV households, even after applying the UHF discount
Policyband
Who Will Win This Legal Battle – FCC Chairman Brendan Carr or Superstar Lawyer Paul Clement?
Newsmax and a group of state cable associations said the D.C. Circuit should give the FCC no more than 14 days to vote on the Media Bureau’s March 19 approval of the Nexstar-TEGNA merger
Policyband
Sen. Cotton, Rep. Kustoff Pressure FCC's Carr to Allow Mobile Phone Jamming in State Prisons
Carr Supports Jamming, But Industry Opposition Led by AT&T, Verizon, and CTIA Has Been Intense, Arguing the Agency Lacked Legal Authority to Give State Prisons the Jamming Option
Policyband
Elon Musk's SpaceX Calls on the FCC to Slash the $4.5 Billion High-Cost Fund
Starlink's parent said 'the long-standing problem of high-speed broadband network access has effectively been solved, rendering most legacy High-Cost support mechanisms redundant'
Policyband
Verizon CEO Sees Starlink, Amazon LEO Capped at 5 Million U.S. Subs within 10 Years
Meanwhile. New Street Research says rapidly growing Starlink doubled its global subscriber base in 2025, hitting 2.7 million U.S. customers and becoming a Top 10 ISP
Policyband
ACLP Analysis Projects BEAD-Related Pole Costs Could Reach $4.6 Billion
BEAD projects are expected to involve 3.9 million utility‑owned poles, researchers Alex Karras and Michael Santorelli of the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute say
Policyband
FCC Says It Will Vote on Media Bureau Approval of Nexstar-TEGNA Merger Sometime 'This Year'
Agency tells D.C. Circuit the deal is under 'active consideration,' but wants the ‘typically deferential approach toward the management of its own limited resources’
