broadband

As schools, workplaces and public services shut down in the age of coronavirus, online connections are keeping Americans in touch with vital institutions and each other. But that’s not much of an option when fast internet service is hard to come by.

As millions are studying and working from home, that surge in online traffic can lead to slowdown for everyone in the household.

Companies also agreed to waive late fees and open Wi-Fi hot spots to Americans who need them.

Companies also agreed to waive late fees and open Wi-Fi hot spots to Americans who need them.

When high school junior Chloe McMurray logs onto the websites she needs to finish her homework, she usually isn’t at home. “I have to come to the church if I want to write an essay that I can share with my teacher,”  McMurray said. That’s because “homework” at the  McMurray house is done the old fashioned way — on...

The News4 I-Team found roughly 1 million people in our area don’t have access to high-speed internet. Investigative Reporter Jodie Fleischer reports on the impact that has and what local governments are trying to do about it.

Disney’s brand-new streaming service Disney Plus may be a victim of its own success. The $7-a-month service offering an array of Disney classics and new shows suffered some technical difficulties hours after launching at 3 a.m. E.T. on Tuesday. Users began reporting issues with the service on Twitter early Tuesday morning.

The “streaming wars” officially have a major new player. Disney+ joined the fray Tuesday morning, presenting a big, new rival for established players such as Netflix and Hulu.

The state of Maryland is making available nearly $10 million for efforts to bring reliable and affordable internet service to residents of rural communities.

U.S. regulators have approved T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts, in a deal that would leave just three major cellphone companies in the country. Friday’s approval from the Justice Department and five state attorneys general comes after Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to conditions that would set up satellite-TV provider Dish as...

With no computer or internet at home, Raegan Byrd’s homework assignments present a nightly challenge: How much can she get done using just her smartphone? On the tiny screen, she switches between web pages for research projects, losing track of tabs whenever friends send messages. She uses her thumbs to tap out school papers, but when glitches keep her from...

Hawthorne-based SpaceX Thursday night launched a rocket from Cape Canaveral with the first batch of what could ultimately be thousands of satellites providing space-based internet service around the globe after the mission was scrubbed twice last week.

President Donald Trump dropped the pretense of working with congressional Democrats on Wednesday and sent a clear message that his re-election campaign will be centered on condemning overzealous investigations rather than advancing a robust domestic policy agenda. Both sides may have feigned surprise at Trump’s angry outburst, in which he said he won’t work with Democrats until they drop their...

President Donald Trump abruptly stalked out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, flatly declaring he would no longer work with Democrats unless they drop all investigations in the aftermath of the special counsel’s Trump-Russia report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it all “very, very, very strange” and said she was praying for Trump and the nation. Trump...

Comcast is working on a device like the Amazon Echo or Google Home, but with a focus on monitoring health at home, and aims to begin pilot-testing it later this year. A team under Sumit Nagpal, a senior vice president and general manager of health innovation at Comcast who previously worked at the consulting firm Accenture, has been working on...

The U.S. government will hold a massive auction later this year to bolster 5G service, the next generation of mobile networks. President Donald Trump showcased the announcement Friday, declaring that the race to stand up these faster, more powerful networks is a competition “America must win.” “We cannot allow any other country to outcompete the United States in this powerful...

Democratic lawmakers are challenging a pledge by T-Mobile and Sprint not to raise prices or hurt competition if their $26.5 billion merger goes through. Although T-Mobile says it won’t raise prices for three years, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he isn’t sure that Trump administration regulators are willing to hold T-Mobile to...

From foldable cellphones to high tech burgers, more than 4,500 companies showcased their latest technology at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show which took place in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Comcast plans to roll out a new product for broadband-only subscribers that will allow customers to aggregate certain streaming apps, including Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube, with a voice-activated remote — a response to the ongoing challenge of navigating video between a variety of sources, according to people familiar with the matter. The product, which will first be a set-top...

Cellular companies such as Verizon are looking to challenge traditional cable companies with residential internet service that promises to be ultra-fast, affordable and wireless. Using an emerging wireless technology known as 5G, Verizon’s 5G Home service provides an alternative to cable for connecting laptops, phones, TVs and other devices over Wi-Fi. It launches in four U.S. cities on Monday. Verizon...