Went on a meditation retreat and the retreat center bookstore got me It’s not a “Black” bookstore but they did have some bangers I couldn’t resist Already digging into the fertile soil of Leah Penniman’s “Black Earth Wisdom” …

My latest on how my home state is connecting residents who live in old apartment buildings that don’t have the wiring to support high speed Internet connectivity #DigitalDivide

Community Broadband Networks@communitynets.bsky.social · 2d ago

In the U.S. northeast, there's a number of states with housing stock that has antiquated wiring that won't support high-speed Internet access Massachusetts is one of the few states doing something about that w/its Residential Retrofit Grant Program Our @seangon.bsky.social writes about it here ⬇️📶

The moon is out here tonight just as fine as she wanna be ain’t it?

AI companies stealing old books and destroying them to train LLMs Me now regretting my decision to get rid of like 1000 books I had in storage last year to save storage fee $$

On January 6, 2026, Republican Austin Smith, a former Arizona lawmaker who questioned the 2020 election, admitted in a Maricopa County courtroom that he forged petition signatures, including a deceased woman’s, to secure a place on the ballot. theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/arizona-la...

Finished “The Stranger” over the weekend Only 123 pages but was the kind of book that had me staring at the ceiling for a while after And Meursault? Might be the only protagonist that I somehow didn’t like and was annoyed by — but also kinda admired 🤔 Lemme peep Camus other books #BookSky 📚

BEAD was intended to give underserved communities billions of dollars for high-quality, future-proof fiber networks. But under Trump and a group of tech moguls, Build Back Better has been transformed into “tear down quickly.” Read more from @karlbode.com and @seangon.bsky.social: buff.ly/NmgmAPS

Thank you @theverge.com for a great piece by @karlbode.com and @seangon.bsky.social. This is a big untold story in rural Ohio, especially some Appalachian counties. Maybe some reporter could do a little digging at BroadbandOhio instead of writing that umpteenth datacenter backgrounder.

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · last mo.

Over at @theverge.com, @seangon.bsky.social and I wrote about how billionaires hijacked a generational $42.5 billion program intended to dramatically improve internet access. Republicans stripped away all affordability and equity requirements, and are turning it into a slush fund.

@karlbode.com and I wrote this piece for @theverge.com on what happened to the Biden-era program that aimed to close the digital divide and what it has become under the “benefit of the bargain” Spoiler alert: it benefits Elon and Bezos and is anything but a bargain for those being left behind

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · last mo.

Over at @theverge.com, @seangon.bsky.social and I wrote about how billionaires hijacked a generational $42.5 billion program intended to dramatically improve internet access. Republicans stripped away all affordability and equity requirements, and are turning it into a slush fund.

Today my piece was published in @prospect.org on how a CA Dem of all people is trying to gut the agency that is bringing consumer protections, affordable high speed Internet, and help for community broadband networks to Calif The call is coming from inside the house

Community Broadband Networks@communitynets.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Why would a California Dem be trying to strip the California Public Utilities Commission of its telecom authority, just as the agency is making a real difference on broadband affordability? Well, here we are, and our own @seangon.bsky.social writes about what's at stake here in @prospect.org

NYC Mayor Mamdani has already announced plans for building a city-owned grocery store Will he get behind a new plan from the city’s Public Advocates office for a city-wide municipal broadband system to break the Big Cable/Telecom Internet monopoly in the Big Apple? I wrote about it here ⬇️

Rebooted: New York City's Buried Internet Master Plan Is Coming Back to Life | Welcome to Community Networks

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams – a non-voting member of the New York City Council with the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation – released a detailed “Get Connected” report ca...

communitynetworks.org

With 24/7 #AI talk, I’m surprised we’re not hearing more, esp fr economists, abt this peer-reviewed paper: “The AI Layoff Trap” Two economists published a mathematical proof that AI will destroy the economy Yep, you read that right. Not might or could - will #Economics arxiv.org/pdf/2603.20617

So just north of where I am a meteor hit the atmosphere. It was loud but I didn’t see anything because it’s cloudy and raining and I’m inside but … Word on the street tho is louder with disappointment that it missed, about 450 miles too far northeast

As always, I go to book store on a $25 budget to get ONE book — one Because what’s wrong with spending $85 on books only to leave with a $155 hole in your pocket 🤷🏾‍♂️ #BookSky

Just finished Dead Man’s Wire — Gus Van Sant’s crime thriller based on the real-life 1977 hostage standoff Funny/smart, blends “eat the rich” vibes & cig smoking 🚬 70s nostalgia It’s somehow both timely & nice Netflix escape My’hala & Colman Domingo roles were 🤌🏾 & Pacino was the cherry on top 🎥🍿

This is one of the best, most effective instances of Congressional testimony I’ve ever seen, exposing the cruel hypocrisy of a GOP Congress member More Congressional testimony like this please 🙏🏾

S/o Hawaii Hawaiian lawmakers passed a first-in-the-nation bill to strip corporations of the power to spend money in state elections Hawaiian punch to the face of Citizen’s United 👊🏾 www.courthousenews.com/hawaii-legis...

Hawaii Legislature passes first-in-nation bill targeting Citizens United ruling

Supporters of the bill say citizens, rather than corporations, should have more power in elections.

courthousenews.com

I'm quoted at length here, thanks @seangon.bsky.social.

Community Broadband Networks@communitynets.bsky.social · 3mo ago

In yet another blow in the fight to ensure equitable access to broadband, an appeals court struck down FCC rules this week that aimed to combat digital redlining We break it down, including what's next & how digital inclusion advocates are kicking off a "Month of Action" around digital equity

It was super dope to be invited to join @liberation-gen.bsky.social and @theforge.bsky.social timely “The Corporate Power of It All” discussion In this segment, we dove into the fight for public control of banking and broadband

Lessons From Fights For Public Control of Banking and Broadband Infrastructure - The Forge

Looking around our economy, many of us know that the fight to rein in corporate power isn’t limited to a few very powerful tech companies. In this conversation, Trinity Tran from the California Public...

forgeorganizing.org

The shared excitement over NASA’s recent mission compared to the general indifference to SpaceX missions speaks to the power of something seen as the product of communal human effort rather than just the ego and avarice of one obnoxious dork.

Okay Bluesky/my fellow skywalkers, help a brotha out: Where are all the ppl on this app who work at NASA? I want to follow your accounts

They got the #Artemis crew back fr the moon 200k+ miles away w/mathematical precision — on the exact time of scheduled arrival In a world of anti “woke” MAGA who pretends they believe in merit, we just witnessed supreme competence - led by women and piloted by a black man “DEI hire” deez nuts

I finally have a newsletter! It's called The Fine Print* and I'll be writing about tech, media, politics, consumer rights (and whatever else I damn-well please). It's free, but if you have disposable income, you can support independent reporting for just $50/year or $4/month.

The Fine Print*

A newsletter by Karl Bode covering tech, media, politics, and consumer rights.

karlbode.com

Grok stands as the clearest example of an AI that is both ideologically aligned and operationally embedded in a social media platform, says Matthew Kirschenbaum. Its mechanisms should be taken apart under bright lights, in much the same way people learn how to defuse a bomb, he argues.

Grok is an Epistemic Weapon | TechPolicy.Press

Elon Musk's Grok claims to be truth-seeking while shaping discourse and amplifying ideology, argues Matthew Kirschenbaum.

techpolicy.press

One reason I enjoy working on digital equity issues from a community broadband perspective …. It’s an area where local communities can exercise real power and get real results that improve quality of life and expand economic opportunities

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · 8mo ago

A new study has found that Chattanooga, Tennessee's decision to build their own affordable community-owned fiber broadband network has driven $5.3 billion in economic benefits back to the community. From my colleague and friend @seangon.bsky.social:

FCC: Mergers, monopolization? No problem b/c who cares about consumer protections? But DEI, yeah that’s the real problem 🙄

With Anti-DEI Commitments in Hand, FCC Approves AT&T-UScellular Spectrum Sale

AT&T bought 3.45 GHz and 700 MHz licenses for about $1 billion.

broadbandbreakfast.com

I suppose 30 years late is better than never

Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Wow — Senators Van Hollen, Smith, Murphy, Sanders, Warren, Markey, Merkley, Heinrich have created an official internal "Fight Club." They're challenging Schumer & Gillibrand's leadership, arguing the party is using an old, corporate-friendly playbook insufficient to take on Trump or win elections.

Predictable scam alert

a man in a maroon shirt sits at a desk with a book

ALT: a man in a maroon shirt sits at a desk with a book

media.tenor.com

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · 8mo ago

who could have predicted that "Trump Mobile" and the "Trump Phone" was all just part of a lazy lifestyle brand targeting the country's dimmest patriots

Not that the BEAD program established by the infrastructure law under Biden to build new future proof networks was perfect But with this admin, everything they touch turns to instant enshittification

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · 8mo ago

the corporate press softsells it, and "AI" gets all the attention, but this administration really is trying to impose a ban on all federal and state oversight of corporate power

In an era filled with tech dipshits who never developed emotionally past the age of 13 & use their wealth to become odious monsters ... ... listen to Steve Wozniak.