Federal Court Blocks Social Media Law, Illinois Broadband Initiative, Fiber Leads for Telecom Giants

December 2, 2021 – A federal court in Texas temporarily blocked a new state law that would prevent social media companies from removing political speech.

Federal district court judge Robert Pitman for the Western District of Texas granted a preliminary injunction against the law which is set to take effect today.

The law, HB 20 targets companies with at least 50 million users in the United States, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Texas governor Greg Abbott signed the law in September, calling the measure a move to “protect Texans from wrongful censorship on social media platforms.”

The law would also allow Texas residents to sue companies in order to reinstate their accounts.

In his decision, Pitman ruled that social media companies have a First Amendment right to moderate users’ content on their platforms. “This Court is convinced that social media platforms, or at least those covered by HB 20, curate both users and content to convey a message about the type of community the platform seeks to foster and, as such, exercise editorial discretion over their platform’s content,” he decided.

Internet industry groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed to challenge the Texas law in September. CCIA president Matt Schruers said the ruling was “not surprising.” “The First Amendment ensures that the Government can’t force a citizen or company to be associated with a viewpoint they disapprove of, and that applies with particular force when a state law would prevent companies from enforcing policies against Nazi propaganda, hate speech, and disinformation from foreign agents.”

In June, a federal court judge imposed a temporary ban on a similar social media law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis until the case is settled in court.

Illinois starts broadband investment initiative

Illinois announced Wednesday a broadband acceleration project that will help communities receive support and funding for broadband expansion.

Governor JB Pritzker, together with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Broadband Office, announced the Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program – a collaborative program for local governments to receive expert support as they apply for and receive federal funding for broadband deployment.

Pritzker emphasized how his state is making broadband deployment a priority for towns in Illinois. “Keeping our communities connected has never been more important than it is today and this pilot will help communities play a direct role in delivering broadband infrastructure improvements to close the gaps on service,” he said.  “With an historic amount of funding available thanks to our own Connect Illinois initiative and with new federal infrastructure dollars coming from Washington we are committed to reaching our goal of delivering universal broadband access across our state.”

The Accelerate Illinois program will offer 30 hours of free expert counsel provided by the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. The Accelerate Illinois “Notice of Collaboration Opportunity” is open and accepting applications through December 30, 2021. The State expects to serve up to 12 communities as part of the initial pilot initiative.

Fiber leading telecom giants’ investment goals

Telecommunications companies are rushing to invest in fiber amid an “alternative networks” trend, according to a Wednesday story in the Financial Times.

The report notes that while some investors are funding a new generation of “alternative networks” – networks deployed using fiber-to-home, fixed wireless networks, hybrid networks, and satellite broadband services to bring broadband solutions to urban and rural areas – incumbent telecoms providers are pushing for more fiber investments.

William Hare, an analyst with technology consulting firm Omida, said fiber has become more important over the past two years. “Through the pandemic, fiber has become much more of a priority.”

The Times reports that the speed and resilience offered by a full-fiber network matches consumer expectations. “Fiber really outperforms copper,” says Hare. “The raw speed is one thing; but reliability and stability is the real advantage.”

Omida predicts that the United States will be among the countries with the most fiber growth by 2024, behind Spain, China, and Egypt. For 5G markets, the US, South Korea, and Finland will see the biggest growth.

A barrier to wider worldwide deployment of 5G in some countries is the availability of smartphones, especially in some African countries, the report said.