June 15, 2023 – Dish Network announced Thursday that the wireless provider now offers 5G service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population.
The company designed, built, and deployed 5G network in three years, serving over 240 million Americans, it said.
Dish has fulfilled all of its commitments to the Federal Communications Commission as of June 14, 2023, which includes the launch of over 15,000 5G sites, it said.
“Our teams have worked tirelessly for years, and this achievement is a testament to their dedication and commitment as we grow the world’s first and only 5G cloud-native Open RAN network,” said Dave Mayo, executive vice president, network development, DISH Wireless. “We appreciate the continued support and efforts of our partners as DISH continues to lead the industry in Open RAN deployment.”
Dish was sold wireless assets as part of T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint three years ago.
“We have made significant progress on our network buildout, and can now focus on monetizing the network through retail and enterprise growth,” John Swieringa, the president and chief operating officer of DISH Wireless, said in a release. “With more markets across the country offering the DISH 5G network for voice, text, and data services, our business can start realizing the benefits of owner economics.”
European Commission charges Google with antitrust violations, says it must break up digital ad business
European Union regulators have issued fresh antitrust charges against Google, stating that the only way to address competition concerns regarding its digital ad business is through the divestment of parts of the company.
The investigation focuses on allegations that Google favored its own ad technology services, impacting rival publishers and advertisers.
The European Commission’s preliminary view, after an investigation, suggests that the mandatory divestment of Google’s services is necessary. The EU has previously imposed large fines on Google, but this is the first time it has called for the breakup of a tech giant’s business under strict antitrust laws.
“Google is representing the interests of both buyers and sellers,” European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager said during a news conference. “And at the same time, Google is setting the rules on how demand and supply should meet.
“This gives rise to inherent and pervasive conflicts of interest.”
The press release from the EU includes an example of a potential remedy, which involves splitting and selling off Google’s ad selling and exchange branches while allowing it to retain the ad buying units.
Google can present its defense before the commission makes its final decision as the company disagrees with the findings and will respond accordingly.
This marks a significant escalation in the EU’s crackdown on Silicon Valley giants and follows a similar move by US authorities.
FCC commits $21M from Emergency Connectivity Fund
The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it has committed over $21 million in funding through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides students with connectivity when they’re away from school.
The latest round of funding will go to supporting connectivity for roughly 40,000 students in five school districts and three schools in various states, aims to provide them with the necessary tools to connect with their classrooms and teachers through online learning programs.
“With the onset of summer, and many students participating in online learning programs, we’re pleased to announce another round of funding to give kids the digital tools they need to connect with classrooms and teachers,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This program is making important progress in our ongoing work to close the Homework Gap.”
Over the two previous rounds, the program has helped over 17 million students connect to their schools and teachers.
The funds can be used for off-campus learning including nightly homework, and the program has supported thousands of schools and libraries, distributing millions of connected devices and facilitating broadband connections through discounts with local service providers.
