ICYMI: Last week, ​​AAPB's @gbsohn.bsky.social and @ilsr.bsky.social's Sean Gonsalves led an enlightening discussion with four community-driven broadband champions on building smart cities, what infrastructure is required, and the cost of doing nothing. Stream here: www.youtube.com/live/Cij0LEG...

Trump's censor in chief at the FCC, Brendan Carr, just sent a letter to the heads of BBC, NPR and PBS informing them he's launching a "news distortion" probe into the BBC's editing of a documentary on Trump's Jan. 6 activities. Here it is:

Lots of crazy stuff in telecom/tech policy world landing this afternoon. Perhaps most critical is a leaked Executive Order that would, among other things, deny funding to states with AI laws/regulations. @bentoninstitute.bsky.social has a brief summary and the text. www.benton.org/headlines/dr...

Algorithmic face scans are “dangerous, whether used to estimate our age, our name, or other demographics,” EFF’s Adam Schwartz told @PCMag.com. EFF favors “a ban on government use of this technology, and strict regulation… for corporate use.” www.pcmag.com/explainers/...

Great deep dive by @giladedelman.bsky.social of @theatlantic.com into FCC Chair Brendan Carr and how he has used the agency to attack the President's enemies and help his biggest donors, all while avoiding full agency and judicial review. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

This Thursday! 🚨 Join AAPB's @gbsohn.bsky.social, @ilsr.bsky.social's Sean Gonsalves, and an exciting panel of experts for a webinar on smart cities: what it takes to build them, what infrastructure is needed, & the cost of doing nothing. Register here: sites.google.com/ilsr.org/ils...

Join EFF’s Cindy Cohn for a virtual conversation with Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders about their new book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship. www.eff.org/event/rewir...

The answer to how do we keep kids safe online isn't destroy everyone's privacy. It's not force people to hand over their IDs to access legal content. And it's certainly not ban access to the tools that protect journalists, activists, and abuse survivors. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

“If we can get communities over the hump of believing they can afford to do this, it will pay dividends.” On @lightreading.bsky.social's The Divide, @gbsohn.bsky.social breaks down what’s wrong w/BEAD under Trump’s NTIA, and why public broadband is the answer. www.lightreading.com/broadband/th...

Disney's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is what happens when the government allows decades of media and tech consolidation. When control of media and tech are in the hands of a handful of companies, it becomes easier for authoritarian leaders to control them. deadline.com/2025/09/nexs...

A new world where Karl Rove makes sense and Bob Iger is without scruples.

IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE: What I have not seen anyone discussing is that Nexstar pulling Kimmel, forcing ABC’s hand, comes as Nexstar is leading the way for the industry on trying to get FCC approval for media consolidation. www.poynter.org/business-wor...

Exactly this

What a relief that we've spent the past decade wringing our hands about censorious leftist college students

A few simple steps can drastically decrease the amount of personal information that’s available about you online. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...

The president of the United States is trying to steal congressional seats so I don’t give a fuck about the Cracker Barrel logo discussion. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Tell me where the protests are. I'm sick of living in a colony. www.axios.com/local/washin...

Tech journalist/critic @karaswisher.bsky.social explains why it’s so important that tech workers speak out individually and create companies that elevate best practices, on the new episode of EFF’s “How to Fix the Internet.”

At EFF we spend a lot of time thinking about the tech used by police and authorities to spy on you while you’re going about your everyday life, like cell-site simulators (CSS). Rayhunter is an open source tool we’ve created that we hope empowers everyone to help search out CSS around the world.

ICYMI: The “Big Beautiful Bill” strips internet costs from SNAP eligibility: forcing low-income families to choose between staying connected and putting food on the table. In @prospect.org, Sean Gonsalves of @ilsr.bsky.social breaks it down, with powerful commentary from AAPB's @gbsohn.bsky.social:

again, no mention at all that the incoming new owners of CBS are the Ellison family, billionaire friends of Trump, who are already shaping the trajectory of the new CBS via Skydance execs before the deal ink is dry that's apparently just not relevant enough to mention

Only 19% of Dems approve of the party at this point. That’s not because we have all of a sudden changed our mind on Dem principles or policies. It’s because we are so damned scared and so damned disappointed in a leadership team that simply does not appear up to be meeting the moment.

This year marks EFF defending the internet for 35 years! With your continued support, we'll be able to fight for user rights for years to come.

[email protected] is being cancelled purely for financial reasons not having anything to do with the fact that the host criticizes Trump daily and that CBS's parent company has a merger pending with the FCC? If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. www.npr.org/2025/07/17/n...

Thanks to @markey.senate.gov‬, @cantwell.senate.gov, Marsha Blackburn, & Susan Collins for stripping the AI moratorium from Senate budget bill. This text would have hamstrung state efforts to protect consumers from things like deepfakes & robocalls for 5 years. This cut was the right thing to do.

What a sad day for media in the U.S. It highlights the need for more independent, local news outlets throughout the country. Paramount's unwarranted, unwise $16M settlement with Trump highlights the destruction that media consolidation has wrought. apnews.com/article/trum...

Well that's a tiny bit of good news. A Republican fake consumer group had sued to try and make an $8 billion federal subsidy program to help bring phone and broadband services to lower income homes and schools (USF) unconstitutional.

Big Tech doesn’t need more loopholes. But S.B. 690 gives them one the size of California: the power to wiretap you online, then turn around and call it “commercial business.” California lawmakers must reject this bill.

HUGE victory in US Supreme Court case challenging the FCC's Universal Service Fund. The Court found that the Fund did not violate the non-delegation doctrine and was therefore constitutional. Now it's time for Congress to fix USF. @aapbroadband.bsky.social's statement: www.aapb.us/post/stateme...

It was really quite easy for the Dems--just don't support the guy who had to quit for being serial sexual harasser. He was also very overrated in general and harmful to the Dems in his state. So, supporting him really says a lot about the Dem establishment. None of it good. 1/2

Today’s ruling on U.S. vs. Skrmetti clearly demonstrates that trans people are under attack. Don’t let technology make things worse. Here are some recommendations to keep you and your community safe.

“When we think about ICE, we have to recognize it’s not just sworn officers anymore, but a network of private intelligence contractors who get paid to probe a vast array of data,” EFF’s @maassive.bsky.social told @fedscoop.bsky.social - possibly with political motivations.

Whether you’re concerned with public health or retribution for your political opinions, you should not be punished or criminalized for wearing a mask at a protest.

This is what is wrong with our media. This is not being framed as a grave assault on the foundations of our democracy, but as a "feud" between two men.

Right now, Dems are hiding in their offices, scrolling their phones fearfully, wondering "how are voters going to feel about the National Guard being deployed?" The right, meanwhile, is vigorously *attempting to shape* how voters feel about it, filling every medium with coordinated propaganda.

And I got my head handed to me when I was an FCC nominee because I was a...gasp..."activist."

a right wing extremist with ZERO qualifications for the job (and a history of hanging out in racist chatrooms) is poised to be nominated to the Trump FCC

propose a giant "growth for growth's sake" merger resulting in price hikes, endlessly layoffs, and a shittier overall product to goose stock price and grab tax cuts, then unwind the whole thing as you slather the incompetent executive in charge with a $52 million pay package ingenious stuff boys

Yep, get ready for RDOF II.

Who will get the "Benefit of the Bargain" from the Commerce Department's radical re-write of the $42.5B Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment Program? Why former BFF Elon Musk, of course. Here is @bentoninstitute.bsky.social's excellent analysis. www.benton.org/blog/here%E2...

"Benefit of the Bargain" my ass. The new Commerce Department "Policy Notice" for the $42.5B Broadband Equity Access & Deployment Program will screw rural America. I call it "Lutnick's Folly." Here is the @bentoninstitute.bsky.social response: www.benton.org/content/lutn...

Today, in a House Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies appropriations hearing, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said not once, but twice: "...fixed wireless, which we all know is Wifi." This is the man who will determine the fate of $42.5B for broadband in rural America. G-d help us all.

why it's almost as if the entire abundance argument is a bad faith attempt to pre-empt genuine progressive reform as a counter to authoritarianism, instead replattering stale 90s vibes-based deregulatory corporatism as if it wasn't directly responsible for bringing us here in the first place

all of the "abundance" guys have a curious habit of ignoring or downplaying corporatism and corruption's role in perpetual American dysfunction

you know what would fix this? more mindless deregulation

Commerce Secretary Lutnick's answers to Senators' questions about the $42.5B #broadband deployment program should chill everyone who believes that rural America deserves robust, affordable and future-proof broadband NOW. Here's my take: www.linkedin.com/posts/gigiso...

Later this month, AAPB Executive Director @gbsohn.bsky.social will be speaking at the Broadband Communities Summit in Houston! For the second year in a row, AAPB is holding a pre-conference workshop ahead of the Summit on June 23. Get tickets here: www.terrapinn.com/conference/b...

Communities can't wait any longer for #broadband. Like Oakland, they are building their own. Let's face it, Internet access is a utility like water and electricity. It's essential for full participation in society. broadbandbreakfast.com/oakland-city... @aapbroadband.bsky.social