TechTaffy

tech:

taffy

CenturyLink Gets $54M From FCC To Connect Rural America

By TechTaffy Desk

connect-americaCenturyLink will accept $54 million from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund (CAF) this year, to bring broadband to more than 92,000 rural homes and businesses in unserved high-cost areas.

When combined with its copayment, CenturyLink will invest more than $108 million over the next three years to bring broadband speeds of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to rural households and businesses in 33 of the 37 states where it offers residential broadband service, says the company. 

The $54 million is in addition to $35 million in CAF phase one, round one money that CenturyLink accepted in 2012 to deploy broadband service to 45,000 homes and businesses in unserved rural areas. Through the CAF I program, CenturyLink is deploying broadband to nearly 140,000 unserved rural consumers.

[Image courtesy: Connect America Fund]

Just in

Seed

Oso Semiconductor raises $5.2M

Oso Semiconductor has raised $5.2 million in seed funding. The round was led by Engine Ventures.
People

Battelle appoints Tim Ryan to board of directors

Battelle has elected Tim Ryan, Citi’s Head of Technology and Business Enablement, to its board of directors.
Around the web

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies — CNBC

It’s called ChatGPT Gov and was built specifically for U.S. government use; writes Hayden Field. 
Around the web

DeepSeek’s popular AI app is explicitly sending US data to China — Wired

Users have already reported several examples of DeepSeek censoring content that is critical of China or its policies, writes Matt Burgess and Lily Hay Newman. 
Around the web

DeepSeek hit with large-scale cyberattack, says it’s limiting registrations — CNBC

DeepSeek on Monday said it would temporarily limit user registrations “due to large-scale malicious attacks” on its services; writes Hayden Field.