from the dysfunction-junction dept

I’ve written a lot this year about how Republicans hijacked the $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program (created by the 2021 infrastructure bill) and immediately set about weakening oversight standards, eliminating enforcement of stuff like broadband affordability, speed, and equitable deployment, and making it a priority to heavily subsidize Elon Musk for LEO satellite broadband networks he had already planned to deploy anyway.

All of the chaos and changes have resulted in endless delays, and a lot of promising providers backing out of the BEAD program entirely. That includes electric cooperatives, many of which have been pushing affordable fiber optics into their existing, very rural electrical footprints.

The Trump NTIA process has been so filled with cronyism, delays, changes, new pointless regulations and chaos, a third or more of U.S. cooperatives say they’ll no longer participate:

“63 electric cooperatives across 27 states received provisional BEAD awards to offer reliable high-speed broadband to some of the most challenging eligible locations in the country. But delayed implementation and shifting guidance have created a program defined by uncertainty and confusion. Instead of accelerating deployment, continual revisions to the program have discouraged participation,” said Matheson.

“To date, 20 of the 63 electric cooperatives originally slated to participate in BEAD have withdrawn from the program. Many others are considering withdrawal, citing concerns over the application of extra-statutory pole attachment requirements as a condition of participation,” he added.”

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Cooperatives are annoyed, in part, about new pole-attachment regulations the NTIA applied that make installations much more time-consuming and complex. The Communications Act explicitly exempted electric cooperatives and municipal utilities from federal pole regulation because such providers serve the public interest and are often the only ones willing to connect rural Americans.

Many incumbent telecoms control local poles, and make pole fiber attachment extra annoying to forestall competition. I’d suspect the new restrictions — from an administration that generally demonizes corporate oversight and regulation — are at the direct request of companies like AT&T, worried that popular cooperatives might gobble up market share in markets they theoretically could serve in the future.

It’s worth reminding you: Republicans spent the entirety of the last few years insisting that BEAD was a giant government boondoggle, and that once in office they’d fix it. This claim was routinely propped up by the likes of Ezra Klein at the New York Times, who hasn’t had a single solitary thing to say about U.S. broadband access policy in the two-years since Trumpism retook control of the program.

Congress originally set aside $42.5 billion to improve U.S. broadband. The Trump administration effectively tried to cut the program in half, insisting that Elon Musk’s expensive, congested satellite service would be “good enough” for a lot of these locations. The Trump administration then very clearly tried to wander off with the remaining money, and continues to be very murky about when states will receive it.

Fixing U.S. broadband requires a coordinated array of solutions. Some communities are helped by municipally-owned broadband. Some are helped by the local electrical cooperative getting into fiber and expanding cheap fiber access to rural communities. Others are best served by public-private partnerships between local governments and private providers.

The Trump administration’s BEAD changes have worked tirelessly to redirect a lot of money away from these popular, highly localized solutions, and funnel as much money as possible into the back pocket of incumbent monopolies like AT&T and Comcast, or billionaires like Elon Musk.

Other smaller and mid-sized providers are increasingly backing away from participating in the program entirely, either because of new restrictions and delays, or because the cost of deployment is skyrocketing due to wars, tariffs, and other Trump bumbling. As more BEAD bidders back away from participation or existing awards, more and more money will be funneled to Musk for substandard service so Trump Republicans can pretend the problem of U.S. broadband access has been “fixed.”

In states like California, Trump officials are insisting that California won’t receive any of its already-scheduled $1.86 billion BEAD grant award if they do literally anything telecom monopolies don’t like, whether that’s holding big telecom affordable for high prices, or enforcing the state’s net neutrality law.

It’s a cronyistic mess that’s starting to see growing bipartisan anger even in states like Texas, and it’s poised to get much, much louder as the long-delayed money to states truly begins to flow next year. Right now, a lot of people in state broadband policy are hesitant to publicly comment because they’re worried the Trump administration will sever their grant awards entirely.

Filed Under: bead, broadband, cronyism, delays, elon musk, fiber, high speed internet, ntia, telecom

Sony’s new ULT range of speakers stretches from the relatively manageable $450 ULT Tower 5 to the frankly ridiculous $1,200 ULT Tower Max. Sitting between them is the ULT Tower 7, with excellent sound, an ample selection of inputs, a combined 420 watts of output, and a 30-hour battery. Be warned, though, while it’s smaller than the Tower Max, it is still absolutely enormous and weighs 50.3 pounds.

Most party speakers will accept music from a DJ controller, but Sony goes further with RCA and balanced XLR inputs, plus an XLR output for expanding a wired setup. Auracast-based Party Chain can also connect up to 100 compatible speakers, so you can go head-to-head with Madison Square Garden on volume.

Inside is an 11-inch woofer, two 4.7-inch midrange drivers, and four tweeters, including a rear-facing pair that spread audio around the room. Bass is deep and effective, and at close quarters with the volume cranked, I could really feel it. It’s not quite bone-shaking at the club levels, but it’s still impressive.

The 360-degree driver configuration helps sound spread out and avoid sounding too boxed in, and while the bass is still quite directional, I really enjoyed the scale and ease with which this speaker filled the room.

If you have the budget and space, and you want to play loud all night, the Sony delivers, but I do wish it had a retractable handle. The built-in corner handles are OK-, but you need to angle it sharply at an odd angle to engage the wheels, and trust me, you don’t want to carry this speaker by hand very far.

Best Compact Party Speaker

Nscale, a British neocloud, has secured $3.36 billion in financing ahead of its IPO later this year, the company announced on Friday. Structured as a convertible note, the massive funding round underscores the staggering capital required to build out AI data centers.

Led by hedge fund Third Point, the new investment includes $2.36 billion available to the company immediately and an additional $1 billion coming from existing investor Nvidia, which Nscale will receive in mid-November. The notes will convert into equity shares once the IPO is completed.

Nscale, which filed its IPO paperwork last week, is expected to be valued at $35 billion on the NYSE, Financial Times reported, and is seeking to raise $3 billion in the offering, according to Bloomberg.

Since it was spun out of Australian cryptocurrency mining company Arkon Energy two years ago, Nscale has amassed over $103 billion worth of contracts, according to its IPO filing.

The company is currently developing several large data center campuses, including in Norway and West Virginia.   

A new limited-series crime drama executive-produced and starring Hugh Laurie is set to ring in the new year on Apple TV.

The eight-episode series follows Felix Carmichael, a crime boss betrayed by someone inside his own firm. Sent to the notorious Staplehurst prison, he’ll need to resort to brutality if he hopes to make it out.

This isn’t Laurie’s first time on Apple TV, either. The “House M.D.” veteran previously joined Apple TV drama “Tehran” during its third season.

In addition to Laurie, the series also stars Thandiwe Newton (“Westworld”), Fionn Whitehead (“Dunkirk”), Gina McKee (“My Policeman”), Hazel Doup (“Say Nothing”), Elliott Heffernan (“Blitz”) and Stephen Dillane (“Game of Thrones”). The series is created, written, and executive produced by “Hijack” creator George Kay.

The series will premiere on January 6 with the first two episodes. Remaining episodes will premiere every Wednesday through February 17.

“Wanted Man” joins other acclaimed Apple TV dramas, such as “Criminal Record,” which saw its second season premiere in April.

from the petty-censorial-tyrants dept

On Monday we wrote about Donald Trump’s direct attack on the First Amendment and the free press by banning reporters from the White House. As we expected, a judge on Thursday morning issued a Temporary Restraining Order, blocking the White House from continuing this unconstitutional action, though (as happened the last time Trump tried this) the court relied on Fifth Amendment due process rather than reaching the First Amendment question.

Plaintiffs are also likely to succeed in showing that their hard passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process. The “general rule” is that “individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them” of a constitutionally protected interest…. Indeed, the Supreme Court has “described the root requirement of the Due Process Clause as being that an individual be given an opportunity for a hearing before he is deprived of any significant property interest.” Cleveland Bd. of Educ. v. Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532, 542 (1985) (citation omitted). Karem also holds that, because of the substantial interests at stake, before the Government can revoke the White House-issued hard pass of a reporter it must promulgate rules or standards governing the conduct that would lead to such revocation. See 960 F.3d at 665. And the reporter must “receive fair notice not only of the conduct that would subject him to punishment, but also of the magnitude of the sanction that the White House might impose.”

Trump’s favorite trick of declaring “national security” as an excuse to do whatever the hell he wants doesn’t work here either:

Still, on this record, Defendants offer little to back up their asserted national security interest to justify revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes. So this interest does not tilt these factors in their favor, especially given that Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits.

For one thing, nothing in the record that predates this suit suggests that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes was motivated by national security concerns. Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was “banning” Plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of Plaintiffs’ reporting.3 And even the justifications provided to Plaintiffs after this case was filed are ambiguous about the true purpose of the revocations: while Defendants’ letters to Plaintiffs mention national security concerns, they purport to identify reporting that “threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods,” leaving open the possibility that all the stories fall into the later bucket, rather than the former.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Trump presidency if his White House didn’t start out by ignoring the TRO. According to Politico (one of the banned outlets):

A POLITICO reporter was denied access to the White House Thursday and his press credentials confiscated after a judge ordered the Trump administration overnight to immediately restore access for news organizations that President Donald Trump banned from the complex last week.

MS NOW and CNN said their reporters were also denied entry. The three outlets have been barred from the White House since Saturday, following an order from Trump to do so “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

And so, the news orgs rushed back to court to point out that the White House was violating the TRO, which judges generally don’t take kindly to:

Early this morning the Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order directing “that Defendants (except for President Trump) and their agents, representatives, and all persons or entities acting in concert with them shall immediately return, reinstate, and restore the White House ‘hard pass’ press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO that were revoked on or about September 18, 2026.” Dkt. 24 (the “Order”). This morning journalists from each of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO attempted to enter the White House and were turned away. A Secret Service agent confiscated the hard pass of journalists from all three organizations. And when Plaintiff Betsy Klein, whose hard pass was confiscated on Saturday, September 19, requested to have her hard pass returned, her request was denied and she was refused access to the White House complex.

The judge ordered the White House to respond to the non-compliance notice by 12:30pm, and quickly received a declaration from Micah Stopperich, the Director of White House Press Operations, that the passes had been restored as of 9:07am, and that previously confiscated badges had been dropped at the entry gate to return to the journalists they had been taken from. Yet reporters say they were still being turned away until around noon, well after that supposed 9:07am restoration. They eventually regained some access to the White House.

But hours later, journalists from two of the same outlets were turned away from the arrival ceremony for Trump’s state dinner with Xi Jinping. As MS NOW itself reported:

Hours after regaining access, MS NOW White House reporter Laura Barrón-López was denied entry Thursday evening to the arrival ceremony on the portico ahead of the White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping. MS NOW had requested credentials for the event but never received a response. A CNN producer and correspondent were also denied access. When Barrón-López asked why she was being turned away, a White House staffer told her to “talk to Steven,” seemingly referring to White House communications director Steven Cheung.

According to CNN, the White House told them that CNN could not send a reporter to cover Xi’s arrival, only a photojournalist and an audio technician. The White House will surely argue that credentials for a specific event aren’t the same as the hard passes covered by the TRO. But blocking the reporters while allowing only CNN’s camera crew (a restriction not imposed on any other network) is exactly the kind of petty gamesmanship that the pending preliminary injunction briefing will have to deal with.

It’s unclear how the White House thinks any of this helps. It’s unconstitutional, and it makes the administration look petty: An administration that insists it’s the champion of free speech can’t even manage to let reporters in the door after a judge orders it to.

Filed Under: 1st amendment, donald trump, free press, free press ban, free speech, journalism, steven cheung, white house, white house ban

Companies: cnn, msnow, politico

Mobile gamers may find this especially useful.

Easy tools for running Android apps on your Windows PC

Max Miller for Engadget

Why emulate Android apps on PC?

Max Miller for Engadget

Early holiday sales will kick off in the next few weeks, like Amazon’s October Prime Day sale that’s Oct. 6 and 7. And between the NFL season in full swing and new shows launching for the fall, now’s a good time to start taking your TV upgrade seriously if you’re considering a new one. 

Choosing a new TV comes down to a few specifications, like price, picture quality and your specific use cases — whether it’s gaming or movies. With so many features and factors to consider, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. But our readers may help narrow down your choices. 

CNET’s People’s Picks gives readers a chance to share their opinions on their TV brand. Many of you love LG, but some readers have opinions on other brands that you may not have considered before. Here’s which brands won over readers and what our experts think. 

Overall People’s Picks winner

LG

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LG is well-known among TV brands for its OLED screens, and it’s a favorite among CNET editors and readers. LG earns high marks in many of CNET’s People’s Picks categories and wins three awards from readers: picture quality, fast-moving content and OLED/QD-OLED.

CNET editors give LG several nods for recent OLED TVs, lauding the contrast in the new C6H, the color accuracy of the G5 — recipient of a CNET Lab Award — and the contrast and brightness of G6 for movie buffs. The LG OLED G4 is one of the best gaming TVs for its top-notch gaming features, especially as a more cost-effective option compared to the LG G6.

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Picture quality

Runner-up: Sony

CNET readers crown LG as a winner for picture quality. More than 3 out of 5 (61.7%) of CNET readers who own an LG TV reported an “Excellent” experience with their LG TVs in bright rooms and during the day. Readers say there’s no glare and it’s beautifully bright, and 65.1% of readers with LG TVs report perfect dark scenes with inky blacks and zero light bleed — performance that’s common on OLED models and can really improve the look of movies and TV shows. That brings LG’s picture quality to 63.4%. 

Sony is a runner-up for picture quality, based on nearly half (49.8%) of readers with a Sony TV saying the brand has inky blacks with no bleed and great daylight performance.  

Fast-moving content

Runner-up: Sony

LG wins for flawless, fast-moving content. Of readers, 71% say LG TVs are perfectly smooth, are without blur and are without weird, artificial artifacts with fast-moving content, whereas 28% say LG’s fast-moving content quality is natural but occasionally slightly blurry. When it comes to gaming, CNET readers (59.8%) who have an LG TV say fast-moving content is flawless and incredibly responsive and that the TV has great gaming menus. 

Sony is the next top pick, with 60% of readers saying its fast-moving content is flawless on Sony TV screens.

OLED/QD-OLED

Runner-up: Samsung

Lastly, LG sweeps the OLED/QD-OLED category with 82.4% of readers with an LG TV preferring the brand for its OLED displays. If you’re considering an LG OLED TV, the latest LG OLED G6 has excellent contrast, an improved antireflective coating and good brightness for gaming. One of CNET’s lab-tested favorites is the previous LG OLED G5. CNET editors say it has the best color accuracy. The C4 is still a favorite, but if you want the latest and greatest, LG’s C6 and C6H are standout OLED picks. The C6 is the ultra version of the C6 TV, and it comes in larger sizes with higher brightness and better colors.

Samsung trails behind LG with 45% of readers who own a Samsung TV have an OLED or QD-OLED model. That’s not surprising because Samsung has only been selling OLED TVs since 2022, after a single model in 2013, whereas LG’s OLED models have been on sale for more than a decade. Both the S90F and S95F are Samsung OLED TVs that get praise from CNET for image quality and glare reduction. 

Roku 

Budget TV

Runner-up: Vizio 

Roku wins three categories in CNET’s People’s Picks — budget, smart TV ecosystem and standard LED/LCD. Roku has several affordable TVs. Most CNET readers (72%) have purchased a Roku TV that’s under $500. And nearly half of readers with Roku TVs have purchased their TV within the past year. 

Roku has a few popular TV picks under $500, including the TCL 4-Series, the Pioneer 50-inch 4K smart Roku TV and the Roku – 40″ Class Select Series Full HD (1080p) LED Smart RokuTV. Roku’s cost-effective options don’t skimp on quality. For instance, the Pioneer 4K Roku TV is an LED TV with 4K resolution and a smart TV interface, and it supports High Dynamic Range to improve your picture quality.  

Vizio is next up to Roku, with 45% of readers having Vizio TVs costing less than $500. If you’re in the market for a mini-LED TV, Vizio has its Mini LED Quantum Series 4K TV for under $500 in two sizes (65 and 75 inches). Interestingly, 40.8% of CNET readers with Vizio TVs have had them the longest (over five years) — speaking to its quality and longevity for the price.

Smart TV ecosystem 

Runner-up: TCL

Trust me, a smart TV’s interface can make or break your day-to-day experience. Roku understands that and wins over 59.1% of CNET readers. 

Most readers with a Roku TV say its interface is fast, clean and very easy to navigate. No readers reported the interface being cluttered, slow or frustrating to use — the only TV brand to do so. Roku recently released a new interface that includes a “For You” section, which combines AI suggestions, saved entertainment and what you’re already watching. And the new interface has a “Quick Access” section to get to your most used apps faster, but we have a guide if you’re not a fan and want to turn it off. 

TCL is a runner-up for the Smart TV ecosystem category. Over half (56.5%) of readers who own a TCL TV say the interface is fast, clean and easy to navigate, while 22.5% say the interface is good but has too many ads or sponsored recommendations. 

Standard LED/LCD

Runner-up: Vizio 

Standard LED and LCD TVs use LED backlights and are usually the most cost-effective compared to other TVs. Roku wins 34.8% of its owners over for this category. There are a few budget-friendly Roku LED TVs worth considering, including the Onn 43-inch Class 4K Roku smart TV and the Hisense 50-inch Class 4K LED Roku smart TV. The Roku Select Series LED TV is a CNET favorite for its usability features, like Roku’s interface and remote finder. 

Readers say Vizio is the next top pick for LED/LCD TVs, with 32.7% owning an LED or LCD Vizio TV. 

Hisense

Sound quality 

Runner-up: Sony

Hisense wins CNET’s People’s Picks for its sound quality. Nearly half of readers (45.7%) with Hisense TVs rate the internal audio as “great.” And that’s nearly double CNET readers’ satisfaction with popular brands like Sony (25.2%), Samsung (23.8%) and Vizio (22.2%). One of the perks of Hisense’s latest U7 and UR8 models is Dolby Atmos, which uses surround sound to deliver 3D audio. The U7 models also have a built-in 2.1.2-channel speaker system for more immersive sound. CNET’s favorite budget TV, the Hisense QD7 TV, also supports Dolby Atmos. 

Sony is next up for the sound quality category, with 25.2% of owners saying Sony TVs have great sound quality with clear dialogue and decent bass. Some (41.7%) say it’s adequate for casual watching. 

TCL

Mini-LED/QLED 

Runner-up: Hisense 

Mini LED TVs use tiny LEDs to give you better brightness, blacks and contrast compared to most standard LED TVs. When it comes to mini-LED and QLED TV panels, TCL wins, with 57.5% of readers owning mini-LED/QLED TCL TVs and naming it their primary TV brand. TCL has been producing mini-LED TVs longer than most TV makers, and many of them have earned CNET’s praise.

According to CNET editors, the TCL QM8K is nearly comparable to an OLED TV in terms of picture quality for less money. TCL’s QM8L is another mini-LED QLED TV that CNET loves for its brightness, color and contrast, too. 

Over half (52.1%) of readers with a Hisense TV have a mini-LED/QLED TV, with its model ranking second to TCL. Hisense has a few mini-LED models, including the U6, U7 and the new RGB mini-LED UR8, which we got a glimpse of at CES 2026. It’s around $1,300 and comes with better-than-before color reproduction. 

Don’t buy a new TV without reading this first

Many TVs have similar features that may make it seem like the best deal is the biggest screen for your buck. Of everything to consider, CNET’s TV expert Ty Pendlebury advises looking at price, size and picture quality to help narrow down your options. 

“It’s always what fits their budget, so not necessarily a ‘budget’ model. If an OLED is within your budget, get it, that’s the quickest shortcut,” said Pendlebury. 

And don’t worry about perfecting your TV’s sound quality during your upgrade. Pendlebury says that most TVs sound tinny, so you should consider a soundbar as a separate purchase for better audio.

CNET’s editor-in-chief, David Katzmaier, has 26 years of experience reviewing TVs and has some practical advice to help you feel more satisfied with your purchase years later. For instance, bigger doesn’t always mean better. 

“A bigger TV is great, but it can expose lower-quality sources,” said Katzmaier. The reason is that a bigger screen can show imperfections more than a smaller one. If you still want a bigger screen, consider subscribing to 4K plans to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube TV for better picture quality. You can also try adjusting your picture settings, such as putting the TV in Filmmaker Mode, but Katzmaier says that’s not a cure-all. 

Instead of screen size, focus on getting a picture quality you’re satisfied with. “The biggest improvement would be getting a new display technology, especially QD-OLED/OLED,” said Katzmaier. “TVs with those kinds of screens deliver clear improvements in contrast and viewing angle that the others can’t match.”

CNET editors and readers highly recommend LG. But other brands were close runners-up. If you’re looking for deep black levels and strong color reproduction, readers recommend Sony as a second contender. Or if you’re struggling to watch TV in a room with a big window, consider TCL or Samsung — all CNET favorites.

“I’ve always liked Roku and Google TV better than proprietary systems from Samsung and LG, and I’m happy to see that CNET readers took our advice and bought LG and Samsung OLED TVs — because they’re the picture-quality champs,” said Katzmaier.

CNET has plenty of reviews of some of the latest TVs, like the TCL QM8L, if you’re looking for a brighter TV, or the Samsung S90F, if you’re looking for the best value for overall picture quality. Regardless, there are also guides to help narrow down your TV choice, like choosing between LCD and OLED TVs, what to know about micro-LED and a list of everything to look for when buying a new TV. 

Did you like these findings? CNET’s People’s Picks is community-driven and helps us spread the word about the tech and services you love. Take our ongoing laptops survey to tell us what you love about yours.

Dashia Milden

Senior Consumer Insights Editor

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Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family.

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