This is part of CNET’s “Crossing the Broadband Divide” series exploring the challenges of getting internet access to everyone.  Democrats and Republicans in Washington can’t agree on much of anything these days. One thing they do agree on: The digital divide undercutting rural America needs to be fixed. But figuring out the details of achieving …

The Federal Communications Commission voted at its monthly meeting Tuesday on two measures to make more spectrum available for Wi-Fi and 5G networks. The FCC voted 3-1 on rules for an auction of the 3.5 GHz midband spectrum, now used for naval radar, that can be used to deliver 5G. In a separate vote, it unanimously agreed to open up …

Dear Maggie, I’ve been hearing so much about 5G wireless. Is it just about having faster internet? Will it really be that different from 4G? Thanks, Happy with 4G This is a great question, especially as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to auction off the first set of US licenses for wireless airwaves that will deliver 5G service. Yes, 5G …

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said a new report from an industry trade group shows his policy to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations is working to spur investment in broadband. But net neutrality activists beg to differ. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says a new report showing an increase in broadband investment between 2016 and 2017 justifies his agency’s repeal of popular …

Given the hype and interest around 5G, you’d think any community would welcome the next-generation cellular technology with open arms. Not Doylestown, Pennsylvania. When cell tower operator Crown Castle in 2014 proposed to erect dozens of 5G small-cell antennas for Verizon along the town’s streets, Doylestown pushed back. Residents of the quaint community, nestled in the heart of history-rich Bucks …

New York has expanded its investigation into fake public comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission last year on the agency’s proposal to roll back net neutrality rules.  The probe underway by the New York Attorney General’s Office is now scrutinizing telecom trade groups and DC-based advocacy organizations that were both for and against the FCC’s plan.  Barbara Underwood, who …

When Hurricane Michael barreled into the Florida Panhandle last week, the Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour not only tore down electrical wires knocking out power for hundreds of thousands residents, but it also ripped apart fiber networks necessary for delivering broadband and mobile phone service to the region. Over the weekend, Verizon, the nation’s …

The Federal Communications Commission defended its rollback of Obama era net neutrality protections on Thursday, filing a legal brief with a federal appeals court that argues the agency has the right to change its mind. The Republican-led FCC said it was within its legal right to roll back the 2015 rules, citing a Supreme Court decision from a decade earlier …

Google promises you’ll never have to answer another robocall again. That’s thanks to some new smarts coming to its Pixel smartphones via the Google Assistant. Users can now screen spam calls and get a real time transcription of the call so they can decide whether to answer, hang up, or block the number and report it as spam. Google already …

The broadband industry’s four main lobbying groups are joining forces to stop California’s state net neutrality law from taking effect. On Wednesday, mobile-industry lobbyist the CTIA; USTelecom, which lobbies for the telecommunications industry; and the two lobbying organizations for the cable industry, NCTA and the American Cable Association, jointly filed a lawsuit in federal court against the state of California …