We've launched a lawsuit quadfecta suing the State Dept, FBI, DOJ, and ICE to make public the illegal surveillance of Palestine solidarity advocates! More here: www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...

Digging into the compendium of consumer complaints against Starlink, the evidence is there, for all to see that problems are not only on the horizon, they are already here: www.fastcompany.com/91532281/spa...

The newly-formed "Democrats for Fascism Caucus" has four members:

Every interaction with AI-mediated "help" desks will be an interaction with the technological love-child of Rube Goldberg and Franz Kafka.

To end 2025, in the past month, Starlink has increased its lowest cost service by 100%, removing its $40/month plan and only allowing U.S. customers to purchase its $80/month or $120/month plans -- see: www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...

I've been working with the incredible Data & Forensics team over at Sky News for the last couple months on this analysis of Starlink's activities. Definitely eye-opening, and raises substantial questions over corporate accountability and rule of law: news.sky.com/story/elon-m...

My team created the Broadband Nutrition Label in 2009 to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. The FCC botched the rollout. and is now looking to eliminate this modest win: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

New York Times' headline be like: "Mamdani, who cannot possibly win, wins" (followed by an above-the-fold picture of grumpy cat).

WOW -- this was just presented by Netflix research staff at IRTF Montreal -- documents massive rebuffering/variability problems for streaming via Starlink: datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/... Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...

This is a terrifying development, and an obvious end run around the Posse Comitatus Act.

This is one of the most important pieces of journalism this year. Some thoughts on the magnitude of its significance. 1/

This research paper is absolutely bonkers -- "Don’t Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites": satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu/docs/dontloo... the amount of sensitive cellular, military, and other intel being leaked is crazy! This needs getting wider coverage.

October 18th is No Kings Day! Come out to show your support for Civil Liberty & celebrate our Constitutional Rights! Join the national day of resistance & if you're in State College, PA, we'll be meeting up near Old Main on the Penn State campus. See you there!!! #nokings #1018 www.nokings.org

Declaring a *political philosophy* as a *terrorist organization* is equal parts unconstitutional, stupidity, and laughably absurd. The fact that the political philosophy in question is literally "anti-fascism" begs the question: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... Read it for yourself!

Had a great time talking about the nuances of free spee, the importance of Section 230, and the dangerous path we are on:

So let's be clear -- the US government's official communications agency is actively censoring a comedy show. When we talk about the dangers of government censorship, *this* is what it looks like: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

Looking forward to celebrating 15 years of the Open Technology Institute this afternoon starting at 1pm ET -- we'll have an all-star cast! Streaming at: www.newamerica.org/oti/events/o... I'll be on stage for the directors' panel at 3:45pm ET -- tune in for our take on the past & future of OTI!

Trump orders unconstitutional removal of a peace vigil that has operated continuously since 1981 by making up the excuse that it is a "hazard to those visiting the White House and the surrounding areas." apnews.com/article/whit... At what point is it acceptable to talk about traitorous action?

Anyone hearing about a super-secret "Best and Final Offer" procurement process whereby NTIA is over-ruling States and requiring them to lower their costs for various broadband infrastructure builds (all without public disclosure -- which is illegal)... anyone else hearing this?

Hey look: Starlink slowed down (to the point of not being able to provide broadband speeds) during burning man -- an important and timely cautionary tale for all those states looking to deploy the service without proper capacity analysis and engineering due diligence: www.ookla.com/articles/sta...

Hey look: Starlink slowed down (to the point of not being able to provide broadband speeds) during burning man -- an important and timely cautionary tale for all those states looking to deploy the service without proper capacity analysis and engineering due diligence: www.ookla.com/articles/sta...

ICE's descent into concentration camp tactics: reason.com/2025/08/15/t... This crisis, metastasizing under Trump, has roots in the Biden admin. Building solidarity across the political spectrum, to hold accountable violators of civil liberty from across the political spectrum, is critical!

A New Broadband Boondoggle: The Trump Administration's broadband strategy requires us to overlook a fundamental paradox: 1. Starlink is now considered "broadband"; 2. Starlink already serves the areas it's requesting funding for; 3. By definition, this is overbuilding an already-served area.

This is happening right now: unknown federal agents are setting up checkpoints in our nation's capital, pulling people from their cars, and arresting them.

More follow-up on our analysis of Starlink capacity limits (and their profound implications/warning for NTIA's BEAD program -- Starlink may not be able to meet federal mandated minimum broadband speeds without substantial due diligence): communitynetworks.org/content/new-...

Great follow-up analysis by @waldo.net

"Elon Musk’s Starlink internet works great if hardly anyone uses it" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... NTIA's $42.45 billion broadband funding program is heading for a train wreck if it doesn't change course. The US *desperately* needs a coherent National Broadband Strategy.

It's hard to imagine a more deafening silence than the non-cacophony from advertisers on X -- my question to those corporations, "How do you justify supporting the company that created MechaHitler?" Surely, we can agree to boycott the company that created a pro-Nazi MechaHitler? #boycottmechahitler

Today's *overwhelming* vote to remove the federal ban on protecting consumers from AI abuses shows 2 things: 1. The general public overwhelming supports consumer protections to rein in nefarious AI; 2. How dangerous lobbying by tech conglomerates has become. See: www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

NTIA's new rules for distributing $42+ billion in broadband funding are a reverse auction. www.ntia.gov/sites/defaul... Reverse auctions were used for the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund, resulting in over 1/3rd of the entire program being in default. www.benton.org/blog/new-dat... #fail

“All Trump had to do is not do anything,” he says. “BEAD would have brought him huge positive kudos from all different constituencies, and he chose—for whatever reason—to screw up the win.” Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory: progressive.org/latest/trump...

So proud of the work that Philly Community Wireless has been spearheading to bridge the digital divide: billypenn.com/2025/05/23/p...

Why the Charter/Cox merger is lunacy: Everyone should review Fig. 5 on Pg 8 of the FCC's "Internet Access Services" report: docs.fcc.gov/public/attac... The FCC's analysis of broadband market concentration shows HHIs are through the roof (6-8K) [anything > 2000-2500 is highly concentrated].

100%

Every state broadband authority has a responsibility to develop a *functioning* state broadband strategy that can leverage -- but is uncoupled from -- federal subsidies. Otherwise, the state will be left at the whims of increasingly topsy-turvy federal broadband incoherence: archive.ph/T8NkV

Had a fantastic catch-up with @SportShotChris to chat "Broadband Bottlenecks and Bureaucracy" on the Community Broadband Networks Podcast: communitynetworks.org/content/broa...

Thank you, @vanhollen.senate.gov for leading from the front! Putting a stop to the illegal rendition of US residents needs to be the mission-critical priority for anyone supporting civil liberties.

In light of the SCOTUS decision in the Maryland man rendition case, I urge @raskin.house.gov to lead a delegation to San Salvador to demand Abrego's immediate unconditional release into your custody. You'll have to fly commercial because we all know Trump will not make a USG plane available to you.

We're going after the vigilantes: uncovering the collaborators is essential reestablishing rule of law! Help support our FOIA battle to uncover who is supplying the round-up lists of US residents targeted for extra-judicial detainment and deportation: secure.rightsanddissent.org/a/foia

So data-exfiltration megacorp (TikTok) has a business practice so terrible, we passed a federal statute to force an ownership sale... to a data exfiltration megacorp (e.g., Amazon) that will extract the same intel? Hey Congress -- just outlaw the business practice! www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/b...

This is profoundly disconcerting: a senior security research, Xiaofeng Wang, has had their home raided by the FBI, their existence scrubbed from Indiana University (where they are a tenured professor), & been completely incommunicado for upwards of several weeks: arstechnica.com/security/202...

ATTN State College folks: Tonight I'll be hosting @gbsohn.bsky.social at the @bellisariograded.bsky.social at @pennstateuniv.bsky.social for a fireside chat with my colleague @christopherali.bsky.social on all things politics and telecom policy. Should be a really fun discussion -- join us at 5pm!

U.S. happiness sinks to an all-time low in global happiness survey (of note) these measures are from 2022-2024, prior to Trump:https://www.dw.com/en/us-happiness-ranking-hits-all-time-low-germany-climbs/a-71982896

ATTN: State College politicos! Nationally renowned broadband advocate, Gigi Sohn, is coming to Penn State on March 26th for a public "fireside chat" at 5pm. We'll discuss DC telecom policy & the road ahead. Please join us at 5pm on the 26th in the Carnegie Cinema (113 Carnegie Building):

If Trump wanted to weaken America from within, this is the way: tanking our economy and destroying our relationship with our closest friend and neighbor, as well as the stability that comes from the longest unsecured border in the world.

It is imperative to stand up and condemn the draconian, anti-American, authoritarian abuses that are unfolding before our very eyes. I can only hope that the courts act fast enough to put a stop to Mahmoud Khalil's detention (and to all of these blatantly unconstitutional practices across the US).

I'm really thrilled to learn that the March 2025 issue of IEEE Computer has an article exploring our work on Digital Feudalism, "Data Feudalism and e-Personhood—Are We Becoming Digital Serfs?" ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.... #digitalfeudalism @victorpickard.bsky.social & James Losey

Really looking forward to tonight's visit with Cory Doctorow... public lecture at 6pm ET here at Penn State: www.bellisario.psu.edu/assets/uploa...