President Ilham Aliyev holds key meetings with Chinese industry leaders
President Ilham Aliyev held a series of strategic meetings with senior executives from leading Chinese industrial corporations in Tianjin on 31 August...
Evan Feinman, the former director of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, has departed his role amid concerns over a potential policy shift that could replace high-speed fiber connections with slower, more expensive satellite internet services.
Feinman’s exit, reported by ProPublica’s Craig Silverman, comes as the new administration prepares to overhaul the program.
In an email to staffers—screenshotted and shared on Bluesky—Feinman warned that proposed changes aimed at a “tech-neutral stance” might reduce the number of American homes and businesses benefiting from fiber connections while increasing reliance on satellite technology. “The new administration seems to want to make changes that ignore the clear direction laid out by Congress, reduce the number of American homes and businesses that get fiber connections, and increase the number that get satellite connections. The degree of that shift remains unknown, but regardless of size, it will be a disservice to rural and small-town America. Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world’s richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,” Feinman wrote.
The BEAD Program, established in 2021, was designed to expand high-speed internet access to underserved rural areas. However, the program has recently come under scrutiny. Howard Lutnick, the new Secretary of Commerce, criticized the previous administration’s handling of the program, arguing that it “has not connected a single person to the internet.” Lutnick has advocated for a “tech-neutral stance” and signaled a potential pivot away from a strong preference for fiber connections. His approach, which includes rolling out satellite options such as those offered by Elon Musk’s Starlink, has raised concerns among critics who fear that such a shift will deliver slower speeds at higher costs to consumers.
Feinman urged colleagues to advocate for the removal of “needless requirements” but cautioned strongly against moving away from fiber. His departure and warning highlight growing tensions over how best to modernize America’s rural broadband infrastructure without compromising performance for cost.
As the Commerce Department moves forward with its planned overhaul, the debate over the optimal mix of broadband technologies remains a key issue for policymakers, rural communities, and industry stakeholders alike.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Norway will purchase a fleet of British-built frigates to reinforce its naval strength, the government confirmed on Sunday. The move marks a decisive step in what is expected to be the country’s largest-ever military procurement and a significant boost to NATO’s northern maritime defences.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday cancelled a planned visit to China as nationwide protests spread beyond Jakarta, with several regional parliament buildings set on fire.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 31th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday for a regional security summit, Chinese and Russian state media reported.
China’s largest city and global financial hub, Shanghai, has set a new heat record, state media reported on Saturday. Temperatures in the city exceeded 35°C (95°F) for 25 consecutive days, breaking the previous record set in 1926.
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