Articles about Broadband

Washington state getting $57M to boost digital equity initiatives, add zero-emission school buses

A number of grants announced this week by the Washington State Dept. of Commerce and Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office total… Read More

Astound Broadband outage impacts Seattle-area customers

Astound Broadband customers in the Seattle area were left without internet over the weekend after the company said power pole… Read More

Why many rural communities are still in the ‘digital dark’ — and how Washington state is trying to help

Brandon Block is a reporter for Crosscut, where this story first appeared. Applying for a job, scheduling a doctor appointment… Read More

Laying down fiber cable in African village

Microsoft backs effort to extend fiber internet access to 20 million in Africa

Microsoft says it’s partnering with a fiber-cable connectivity venture called Liquid Intelligent Technologies to bring high-speed internet access to an… Read More

Illustration: Vulcan-Centaur rocket with Kuiper satellites

Amazon’s Kuiper satellites are good to go after FCC’s approval of orbital debris plan

The Federal Communications Commission says Amazon’s 3,236-satellite Project Kuiper constellation is fully cleared for deployment after the company filed an… Read More

Illustration: Vulcan liftoff with Amazon satellites

Amazon switches Project Kuiper prototype satellites to ULA’s first Vulcan launch

The first two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband internet network are now due to launch on the first-ever… Read More

These volunteers are building cell towers to bring the internet to everyone – and they need help

Internet access became essential after COVID-19 hit. With video-chat apps largely replacing face-to-face interactions, and in-person services and businesses retreating… Read More

T-Mobile's Mike Sievert and SpaceX's Elon Musk at Starbase

T-Mobile’s coverage will get a big boost from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, starting with texts

T-Mobile subscribers will be getting a satellite upgrade to their wireless service, thanks to a newly announced partnership that takes… Read More

T-Mobile and SpaceX get set to announce ‘something special’ for Starlink connectivity

FOLLOW-UP: T-Mobile’s coverage will get a big boost from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, starting with texts The CEOs of SpaceX and… Read More

T-Mobile adds 1.7M customers, shares climb despite missing earnings expectations

T-Mobile reported $19.7 billion in revenue for its second fiscal quarter, which was down slightly from the year-ago quarter and… Read More

How Washington state could use federal infrastructure money to close the digital divide

Deploying broadband throughout Washington state has been at the top of local lawmakers’ minds for years. The state legislature enacted… Read More

Astronomers make an Earth Day plea to rein in satellite constellations for the environment’s sake

Astronomers have issued an Earth Day call for environmentalism to be extended more fully to the final frontier, and for… Read More

Amazon reserves up to 83 rocket launches for Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation

Amazon has secured as many as 83 launches on three types of heavy-lift rockets to put more than 1,500 satellites… Read More

Elon Musk, are you out there? SpaceX Starlink internet service gets more reliable, and portable

Note: Starlink has since introduced a portability feature for a $25 monthly premium. ORLAND, Calif. — Looking north into the… Read More

Kymeta antenna tested with OneWeb satellite service

Amid challenges, Kymeta and OneWeb sign deal to widen satellite broadband access

Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta Corp., the mobile connectivity company backed by Bill Gates, has signed a distribution partner agreement with OneWeb… Read More

Radio astronomers are looking to the future as satellite mega-constellations light up the sky

There are plenty of astronomers who worry that the thousands of satellites that are being launched into low Earth orbit… Read More

SpaceX’s falling Starlink satellites highlight concerns about the future of orbital traffic

SpaceX says that most of the satellites it launched last week for its Starlink broadband internet constellation are doomed to… Read More

Starlink satellites with Venus and the Pleiades

Astronomers set up a new center to address issues raised by SpaceX and Amazon satellite networks

The International Astronomical Union is heading up the creation of a new center to deal with the complications created by… Read More

Interview: Washington state CIO Bill Kehoe on infrastructure, cybersecurity and more

When William “Bill” Kehoe started his current job as Washington state chief information officer this past August, he entered a… Read More

Kymeta and OneWeb move ahead with flat panel terminal for satellite internet service

Kymeta Corp., the antenna venture backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has signed onto a joint development agreement with OneWeb… Read More

Broadband, roads, ferries and more — here’s what $1T infrastructure bill means for Washington state

President Biden today signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill which is expected to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars to… Read More

Boeing finally wins the FCC’s go-ahead for broadband satellite constellation

The Federal Communications Commission has authorized Boeing to put 147 satellites in orbit for a broadband internet constellation, adding to… Read More

Amazon fires back at SpaceX in regulatory war of words over satellite constellations

Amazon laid out out a laundry list of SpaceX’s regulatory tussles today in a letter sent to the Federal Communications… Read More

Kymeta teams up with OneWeb to test mobile satellite broadband service

Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta Corp., the mobile connectivity company backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has joined forces with OneWeb to… Read More

Elon Musk goads Jeff Bezos on Twitter as their prolonged space spat escalates

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has fired a fresh volley of tart tweets at Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and… Read More

Facebook’s satellite connectivity team switches over to Amazon’s Project Kuiper

Facebook has struck a deal to have more than a dozen of its wireless internet experts move over to Amazon… Read More

Microsoft and Ball Aerospace enlist the cloud to speed up Space Force’s data flow

How will Pentagon planners cope with the torrents of data that are expected to rain down from a constellation of… Read More

Amazon sees ‘positive outcome’ after FCC puts conditions on a shift in SpaceX Starlink satellites

The Federal Communications Commission has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to modify the planned orbits for future satellites in its… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Municipal broadband; capital gains tax; Amazon’s take on soccer super league

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Washington state is poised to make a significant change… Read More

Amazon picks the rocket that’ll launch the first Kuiper satellites — and it’s not from Blue Origin

United Launch Alliance says it’s struck a deal for a series of nine launches of its Atlas V rocket to… Read More