Stories

For many young adults, going to college is an exciting time of “firsts”: the first time living away from home, the first-time managing expenses and balancing a checkbook, the first time owning a credit card, and more. But in a time when many of these milestones have gone digital, a student’s online privacy is now at risk of hacking and intrusion. Fortunately, there are some simple steps one can take to stay safe. Let’s take a look at the six best practices for protecting online privacy.

10G vs 5G – you may have heard of these terms before. But while the names of these two technologies may be similar, they have two very different meanings. In fact, some may be surprised to learn that the “G” signifies something different in each. The G in the cellular industry’s 5G means “generation”, while the G in the cable industry’s 10G means “gigabit”. But, despite their differences, both 5G and 10G have the same objective – to provide seamless connectivity that is fast, reliable, and secure.  

On November 8, Americans will have the chance to cast their votes in the 2022 midterm election. Occurring midway through a president’s term, midterm elections provide us the opportunity to vote for members of Congress as well as state and local representatives. Even though midterm elections can determine the fate of key political issues, they have historically low voter participation compared with presidential elections. The question of how to increase voter turnout has troubled policymakers for years, with suggestions ranging from making election day a federal holiday to providing paid time off to vote. But according to a recent study, there is another, less obvious way to boost voter turnout: expanding broadband access to more Americans.

On Sunday, June 19, America will celebrate Juneteenth 2022. This will be only the second federal observance of a holiday that roots back to 1865. That year, two months after the surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox—the event that brought the Civil War to a close—Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. This was no ordinary visit: Grainger read out General Order Number 3 to the enslaved African Americans gathered in the area, bringing the news to them that they were free. Thus, the holiday “Juneteenth” was born.

Pride month 2022 is here! Established in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, Pride month represents a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, take stock of the  struggles its faced against discrimination and harassment, and reflect on the impact that LGBTQ+ people have made on history—including on screen. While there is still progress to be made, LGBTQ+ television characters, shows, plots, and issues have made important advances over the past decades. 

Over the past few years, the issues of police brutality and civil rights have come to a head, notably in the worldwide protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. For many, the issue wasn’t new, it was a reality that had been by and large ignored for decades. In the years since, many cable TV programmers have renewed their focus on addressing systemic failures that disproportionately impact Black Americans, including HBO with the new limited series, “We Own This City.”

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, a time when the U.S. pays tribute “to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.” With television being a bellwether of cultural change, AAPI Heritage Month is also the right time to reflect on the representation of members of the Asian and Pacific Islander community on television and behind the screens.

President Biden announced the narrowing of America’s digital divide on May 9, 2022 at the White House and applauded broadband providers for their internet adoption efforts, including offering plans that enable low-income families to subscribe to 100 Mbps internet service for free when taking advantage of a $30 federal subsidy. With the recent implementation of the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), broadband providers including Comcast, Charter, Cox and Mediacom introduced new internet plans throughout their service areas, allowing qualifying ACP households to obtain robust internet service for free after redemption of their ACP benefit. Interested families can find out if they qualify for the ACP benefit from the new federal government website GetInternet.gov.