Fragmented, overlapping strategies could cause broadband delays: The Government Accountability Office says the US needs a national broadband strategy to effectively distribute grant requests and close the digital divide.

Lower internet costs, faster speed could propel broadband adoption: The White House, members of Congress, and 20 ISPs are on board to connect low-income households, but ongoing fiber shortages could delay efforts.

10M US households sign up for affordable broadband: Tens of millions of eligible households could be left behind due to service providers failing to cooperate, digital discrimination, and lack of awareness.

$1.2 billion in rural broadband funding is on its way: Access could open up in 32 states, but the FCC will strictly monitor the expansion to ensure it serves communities that need it most.

As of February 2022, nearly 30% US households with Wi-Fi had an Amazon Fire TV device. More than 20% owned an Echo smart speaker, Fire tablet, or both.

Verizon banks on private 5G for business: The carrier’s service in BlackRock’s offices will showcase an opportunity for 5G to shine while challenging Wi-Fi’s dominance in office, enterprise, and government use.

Fixed broadband subscriptions are set to jump nearly 50% in the Middle East and Africa, and more than 37% in Latin America, by the end of 2030. These regions are the ones with the most room for growth, as they’ve only recently gained access to fixed broadband.

More rural broadband: Initiatives from the government’s Digital India program, like the Bharat Net rural broadband project, aim to provide connectivity to more than 650,000 villages, according to the National Post.

5G gains momentum through new applications: Consumer 5G adoption may have slowed down, but new markets for private 5G, additional functionality, and new applications are helping spread the bandwidth across industries.

Broadcom boosts software with VMware buy: The $61B deal allows the chipmaker to rely less on chips for growth while assembling parts for massive cloud, edge computing, and IoT expansion.

Canada ramps up 5G security: Huawei and ZTE solutions are banned. Critics say the move comes a little too late as telecoms bear the burden of replacing without disruption by June 2024.

The pandemic has accelerated consumer adoption of QR codes. Here’s how marketers can take advantage of the technology.

Unlocking the Wi-Fi 6 spectrum could ease the stress on remote workers’ networks: But the cost of compatible routers and devices might not be worth the incremental connectivity benefits.

Are recent video and gaming outages a sign of an overburdened infrastructure? The increase in high-resolution 4K video and demanding multiplayer games could be bogging down network connections.

Lockheed Martin becomes the DOD’s 5G integrator: 5G development can push the military’s digital transformation while partner companies build more secure solutions for consumer and private 5G applications.

Among US adults overall, 26% indicated that their lack of access to high-speed internet or broadband is an obstacle when using telehealth services, per a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) study from June and July 2021. Those living in rural areas were much more likely to cite this as a barrier compared with nonrural respondents.

We look at 2021’s biggest tech flexes that changed the landscape of business or left us scratching our heads. The year saw Facebook meta-morph into a VR-focused platform, Clubhouse rise and fall, Amazon convert 60 million smart speakers into a giant Wi-Fi network, and more.