"In sum, while BEAD was not as ambitious as a Green New Deal–style program, which would enlist an entirely public and unionized workforce, it was better than a garden-variety neoliberal public-private partnership with zero regard for labor standards.

Fiber-optic systems handle growing bandwidth demands through equipment upgrades, which require long-term maintenance crews — meaning stable employment and durable internet for these communities for decades to come. Instead of this promising vision, rural Americans now face the prospect of receiving inferior internet service while the potential for sustainable union employment evaporates in favor of satellite technology that requires minimal ongoing workforce investment in their communities.

By the time Biden left office, his administration had just finished approving state proposals, setting the stage for implementation. So long, BEAD. We hardly knew ye.

The promise of laying fiber-optic cable was that it would require workers on the ground everywhere, creating jobs throughout rural America. By contrast, Starlink satellites are made in two locations in Washington and Texas, launched from Cape Canaveral, and managed remotely from SpaceX headquarters — bypassing any meaningful job creation in the communities that stood most to benefit."

https://jacobin.com/2025/03/musk-starlink-rural-internet-jobs

#USA #Musk #StarLink #Broadband #RuralAmerica #DigitalDivide #Unions #BEAD

Ofcom plans rules to drive UK full-fibre broadband to 96% coverage http://dlvr.it/TJf0Y3 #Broadband #connectivity #coverage #Europe

https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-ethernet-phy-chip-market/64611/

"Ethernet PHY Chip: Driving High-Speed Connectivity & Innovation"

#EthernetPHY #Networking #Tesla #Hamas #Gaza #Survivor2025 #Divorce#Semiconductors #Connectivity #IoT #5G #TechInnovation #MarketGrowth #DataCenters #Broadband

Rolling Stone: Outgoing Broadband Chief Issues Stark Warning Against Elon Musk
“Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world’s richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,” wrote Evan Feinman

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/outgoing-broadband-chief-warning-elon-musk-1235297425/

#Politics #USpol #Starlink #Tesla #broadband #coup #NaziInternet

"The Trump administration is eliminating a preference for fiber Internet in a $42.45 billion broadband deployment program, a change that is expected to reduce spending on the most advanced wired networks while directing more money to Elon Musk's Starlink and other non-fiber Internet service providers. One report suggests Starlink could obtain $10 billion to $20 billion under the new rules.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick criticized the Biden administration's handling of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program in a statement yesterday. Lutnick said that "because of the prior Administration's woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations, the program has not connected a single person to the Internet and is in dire need of a readjustment.""

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/starlink-benefits-as-trump-admin-rewrites-rules-for-42b-grant-program/

#USA #Trump #Musk #Starlink #Broadband #Plutocracy #Kleptocracy

Wi-Fi 7 adoption: Transforming multi-gigabit internet in Europe http://dlvr.it/TJBq3Z #Broadband #connectivity #Europe #Networks

Amazon Kuiper satellite constellation granted UK licence http://dlvr.it/THmn0C #Amazon #Broadband #connectivity #Europe

FullFibre and Zzoomm merger creates a UK full-fibre leader http://dlvr.it/THbxnG #acquisition #altnet #altnets #Broadband

CityFibre begins rollout in all nine ‘Project Gigabit’ areas http://dlvr.it/THT3y2 #Broadband #cityfibre #connectivity #Europe