The Ohio GOP historically hates local home rule (they make an exception for wind and solar opponents), while Dems have favored it unless it inconvenienced a favored lobby (police unions, AT&T). In this environment Dems would benefit from strong clear principled support. Not holding my breath.
Map of AT&T fiber to the home availability percentages in June 2025 in Cleveland, by Census tract. Source: FCC National Broadband Map data for June 2025.
Map of AT&T fiber to the home availability percentages in June 2025 in Akron, by Census tract. Source: FCC National Broadband Map data for June 2025.
Here are my most recent (June 2025) maps of Cleveland and Akron Census tracts where AT&T is providing home fiber Internet service, and where it isn't. Rep. Joyce wants Big Broadband to know he's making absolutely sure that the FCC will do nothing to help equalize these situations. /4
That's what the FCC "digital discrimination" rules from 2023 (required by Congress) are about: A very mild effort to remedy situations where providers offer inferior broadband service to low income and/or nonwhite communities. Of course the Carr FCC won't enforce them. Joyce is just posturing. /3
Also Carr can continue to use those funds to compel Internet providers to cancel their equity and inclusion programs if they want their mergers approved. But any pro-consumer regulation of these same providers, e.g. to discourage abandonment of poor communities, is strictly off limits. /2
"Led by Chairman Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, the subcommittee’s legislation would prevent any FCC funds from going toward the enforcement of digital discrimination rules enacted during the Biden administration." But Chairman Carr can use those funds to attacked politically noncompliant broadcasters. /1
Per Ookla's speed test data, in the 2nd half of 2025 only 31.5 % of Starlink users in Ohio had 100/20 Mbps service, which is the Federal standard for being "served" by broadband. Yet BroadbandOhio and the Feds are about to award Starlink almost half of the state's BEAD rural broadband slots.
What does Fetterman think about this?
I hope Pope Leo and Cardinal Parolin are talking directly with the American bishops. US Reps Joyce (R-OH14) and Rullii (R-OH6) definitely need to hear the Pope's message from Bishop Bonnar of the Youngstown Diocese and his flock.
See report of T Mobile's possible move on Uniti/Windstream below. Like Verizon/Frontier and AT&T/Lumen, this would eliminate competition between a fiber provider and a home 5G wireless provider that are currently wooing households in many of the same rural and small-town communities.
It was pretty obvious even then that the scarcity of older (yes, even old -- like you and me) anti-Vietnam demonstrators was a big problem, not some kind of model. If we'd been able to mobilize 8 million working- and retirement-age frequent voters, we might have ended that war a lot sooner. /2
Dear Bob @prospect.org, I myself was a student and anti-war activist at Brandeis 1966-69. (In fact I had a part-time gig at the Heller School.) That movement was organized by self-conscious young New Lefties but it was supported so broadly by college students because of the draft, period. /1
Chart of largest US Internet providers' estimated home Internet customers at the end of 2025, before and after FCC-approved buyouts of Cox by Charter, Frontier by Verizon and part of Lumen by AT&T, as well as reported possible deal between T Mobile and Uniti (Windstream). Also shows estimated changes in top five providers' share of the US home broadband Internet market resulting from these acquisitions, from 68% before the deals to 75%-76% after.
I estimate the top 5 providers have increased their share of the US home Internet market from 68% to 75% via FCC-blessed buyouts of Cox by Charter, Frontier by Verizon, and Lumen's home fiber operations by AT&T. T Mobile (#5) reportedly may soon add another 1% by buying out Uniti/Windstream (#10).
Language from Trump 2027 budget proposal calling on Congress to cancel funding of the Digital Equity Act: "The Budget proposes to cancel funding for NTIA’s Digital Equity program that the statute requires, and the Biden Administration planned to, unconstitutionally award based on race. After taking office, the President announced, 'The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY.' Prior to the President terminating the program, grants were planned for: o Explicitly prioritizing members of racial and ethnic minority groups, people who do not speak English, and people incarcerated in non-Federal correctional facilities."
An excerpt from Trump's 2027 budget document released Friday.
The Digital Equity Act also prioritizes rural residents and veterans but... well, you know.
Screenshot of Starlink residential offer as of 4/3/26.
Incidentally, this BEAD-subsidized "discount" of the full cost of Starlink customer premises equipment is already being offered, right now, to new Starlink residential customers at the company's own marketing cost. Such a deal for BEAD! /3
So we're still waiting to find out which 48% of Ohio's BEAD-eligible households are going to be offered $349 worth of Starlink customer equipment - so they can pay $80-$120/mo for service - as the Trump version of "broadband infrastructure". /2
Infographic summarizing allocation of funded BEAD locations in Ohio to various technology categories by the Ohio BEAD Final Plan approved on Dec 2 by the US Commerce Dept.
Yesterday was 4 months since the Commerce Dept "approved" its own version of Ohio's plan to spend Federal BEAD dollars to subsidize broadband deployment to unserved rural locations. But the plan's still secret! No details to be found on the NTIA or BroadbandOhio websites except this infographic. /1
Concept graphic showing one version (V2) of developer's proposed plan for Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport site
There are many reasons to question why you'd want Cleveland to spend $600+ million on this forgettable "concept". But a prior question is why Mayor Bibb is willing to let the Trump FAA and two MAGA Senators take the City hostage right now over an airport closure that can easily wait a few years.
Sorry, I meant Agentic Editor.
Also, how long before we start hearing about an exciting new proposal to convert Burke into a Meta mega-hyperscale AI data center campus, powered by gas turbines in the old Muny Light plant? I mean... lots of water there for cooling.
Cleveland.com today: AI Guy Chris Quinn and "the readers" scoff at Mayor Bibb's ideas for replacing Burke (a golf course! LOL!) then demonstrate they have none of their own. But don't worry, by the time any of this happens Bibb will be gone and Quinn will have replaced Atassi with an Editor Bot.
Rep Rader, the core issue with proliferating hyperscale AI and crypto data centers isn't electric bills or lost farmland. It's that they exist to lock in gigantic centralized extractive tech as the main driver of software, the economy, and society. A few $ off OH electric bills won't make this okay.
Voters in southern Ashtabula and Trumbull Counties, remember this from State Rep Davis Thomas: “Data centers are an important part of Ohio’s future, and we want to continue attracting them."
Not sure what "progressive" Tristan Rader thinks he's doing here, but it's dumb.
Who is talking about violence at a No Kings rally?
Lining the street after the #NoKings rally in Ashtabula OH
Ashtabula OH #NoKings
Just unsubscribed from the @broadbandbreakfast.bsky.social email newsletter. I do not need Ted Hearn in the morning.
Ohio's own Mister Misdirection.
Photo ID to vote isn't the issue. Requiring a $65 passport or a $25 birth certificate to *register* to vote is the issue. Ohio's former SOS certainly knows the difference.
Husted isn't this stupid. But apparently he is this shameless.
Sorry, NW not NE OH.
HQd in KS, fixed wireless in KS, MO, IN, MI, and OH, fiber in IN and MI (as of last June per the FCC BB Map). They claim to offer service to about 35K locations in central and NE OH. Poster child for the practice of submitting bullshit bids in the FCC's "RDOF" auction, winning, then walking away.
