Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., are in the early stages of drafting legislation that would expand the program designed to provide ubiquitous telephone coverage to include high-speed Internet access. Aides to Smith said the bill would make money in the Universal Service Fund available so telecommunications providers could build out broadband facilities. "It would be built into the same structure, and might end up as a stand-alone fund, within the current system next to the high-cost fund," an aide said. USF has four major components: the $3.5 billion high cost fund, which subsidizes phone companies serving rural customers; the $2.25 billion e-rate, which provides Internet access to schools and libraries; the $758 million low income program; and the $25 million rural healthcare fund. Although the e-rate funds Internet access, the high cost fund pays only for narrowband telecom such as telephones -- and not broadband. The high cost fund is subdivided into a larger portion subsidizing small rural carriers and cooperatives, and a smaller portion subsidizing Bell companies in rural areas.
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...