Latest news with #2023

New rules to fast-track joint services commands

Hindustan Times

2 hours ago

Politics
Hindustan Times

New rules to fast-track joint services commands

India has notified new rules under an overarching law to boost jointness, command efficiency and operational synergy in the armed forces at a critical moment when they are charting a path towards theaterisation --- a long-awaited reform for the best use of the military's resources to fight future wars, weeks after the May 7-10 clash with Pakistan that saw the three services work jointly for best battle outcomes. The government notified the rules under the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023 in the Gazette of India on May 27, signalling its intent to fast-track the setting up of joint services commands --- a key goal of the ongoing theaterisation drive. Such commands will consist of military elements, assets, and personnel drawn from the three services and placed under a commander-in-chief. 'This significant step aims to bolster command, control, and efficient functioning of Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs), thereby strengthening jointness among the armed forces,' the defence ministry said on Wednesday. Jointness among the three services is an essential prerequisite to the creation of theatre commands and was in focus during Operation Sindoor --- New Delhi's direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. It led to a four-day confrontation that showcased the Indian military's synergy. The moves comes a year after the Act was notified in the gazette, empowering the government to set up ISOs --- including joint services commands --- and bestowing powers on the heads of such organisations to exercise command and control over the tri-services personnel serving under them to ensure discipline and effective discharge of duties. Such personnel were earlier governed by the respective laws of the three services: the Army Act, 1950, the Air Force Act, 1950, and the Navy Act, 1957. 'The rules (notified) are a critical enabler for the functioning of ISOs and establish a comprehensive framework for discipline, administrative control, and operational synergy,' the defence ministry said in a statement. The setting up of theatre commands for integrated application of force, operational efficiency, and optimal resource utilisation is among the nine areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention in 2025, which the ministry has declared as the 'year of reforms.' Other areas include building indigenous capabilities to strengthen the armed forces, simplifying acquisition procedures for swifter capability development and new domains such as cyber and space. Defence minister Rajnath Singh is conducting a quarterly review of the defence reforms --- including theaterisation --- being driven by the government to boost the armed forces' combat readiness. The theaterisation model being pursued involves raising the China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, the Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and the maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram. The earlier legal framework of the armed forces had its limitations when it came to tri-services matters as officers of one service lacked the authority to exercise disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel belonging to another service. For instance, a three-star general heading a joint command could not act against air force or navy personnel serving under him. The lack of such powers had a direct impact on command, control and discipline, officials aware of the matter said. 'With the notification of these rules, the Act is now fully operational. This will empower the heads of ISOs, enable the expeditious disposal of disciplinary cases, and help avoid the duplication of proceedings,' the defence ministry said. The actions of the three services during the May7-10 military confrontation with Pakistan reflected the synergy of the country's armed forces, the information and broadcasting ministry said on May 18, in a backgrounder titled Operation Sindoor: Forging One Force. 'The operation unfolded across land, air, and sea --- a seamless demonstration of synergy between the army, air force and navy,' the I&B ministry said at the time. It added that efforts were underway to restructure forces through the setting up of integrated theatre commands by unifying the capabilities of the three services based on geography and function. Operation Sindoor triggered four days of strikes and counterstrikes with fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the Indian and Pakistani forces reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10. Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing at least 100 terrorists, and the Indian Air Force (IAF) struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. The IAF struck two terror sites at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke, while the army hit targets at seven places including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal. The IAF also struck military targets in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, Sialkot, Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Bholari and Malir Cantt in Karachi. The navy played a critical role during the operation. The forward presence of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the northern Arabian Sea, along with its Mig-29K fighters and airborne early warning helicopters, prevented hostile aircraft from coming within several hundred kms of the carrier battle group. 'It compelled the Pakistani air elements to remain bottled up close to the Makran coast, with the Indian Navy denying the enemy any opportunity to be a threat in the maritime space,' a top navy official earlier said. In March, the defence ministry told a parliamentary panel that a raft of complex issues must be addressed before rolling out integrated theatre commands as they have a direct bearing on the proposed force structure, calling it 'a trailblazing reform.' The ministry's response to a pointed question on theaterisation was part of a report tabled by the standing committee on defence in Parliament. 'Deliberations on reorganising the armed forces into integrated theatre commands are in progress and currently being examined at various levels before finalisation of an optimal organisational structure to meet the operational requirements,' the report said. The joint structures would help create and integrate new war-fighting capabilities along with faster assimilation of future technology and tactics, it said. 'The concept of theaterisation seeks to mitigate the shortcomings of single service operations and support modern war fighting,' the report added. The chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan is heading the theaterisation drive. The appointment of a CDS was one of the most significant recommendations made by the K Subrahmanyam-led Kargil Review Committee (KRC) that was constituted after the 1999 Kargil war to examine various lapses and suggest measures to boost national security. In 2000, the KRC recommended appointing a CDS to provide single-point military advice to the government and foster synergy in warfighting. A year later, a group of ministers backed the appointment of a CDS, who would bring about much needed jointness among the three services and prioritise defence planning. The need for a CDS was stressed by several committees and parliamentary panels between 2002 and 2016. But successive governments were unable to build political consensus around a CDS until Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the post on August 15, 2019. General Bipin Rawat was appointed the country's first CDS on December 31, 2019. He was killed in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021.

Horoscope today, May 29 2025: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg

The Sun

4 hours ago

Entertainment
The Sun

Horoscope today, May 29 2025: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column is being kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes. Read on to see what's written in the stars for you today. ♈ ARIES March 21 to April 20 Elements of family life that may feel pushed apart can reconnect when everyone decides to step up, and set grudges aside. You have the star power to lead on this and show others the way. In passion terms, your great skill is a deep ability to cut negative ties with the past, for good. A loving future is yours to decide. 2 ♉ TAURUS April 21 to May 21 Words you may have been itching to say can get their moment today. But review them to make sure nothing is hurtful, even by accident. Revenge matters less to you now than understanding and you have all the ability to see this through. Items sold or arranged in sets of 12 can carry a luck link for Taurus. Get all the latest Taurus horoscope new s including your weekly and monthly predictions ♊ GEMINI May 22 to June 21 Lowering your cash sights just a little can create a richer set of circumstances, especially if you are aiming very high in terms of property or career. Finding a step in the middle gets you on your way. Saturn supports you in a social sense, so even when friendship pressure is on, you stay can strong. Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♋ CANCER June 22 to July 22 You are always so intuitive about others but today this is extra-strong. Your moon power tells you who to trust, who to try again with and who may need help. But make sure you leave time and space for your own needs, too. One tucked-away document or date could well link to an overlooked legacy line. Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♌ LEO July 23 to August 23 Pluto brings to your chart the ability to call a halt to anything, from a work meeting to a love conversation, and start again from scratch. You are emotionally fearless today and all the right people will take note. Your unique way of overcoming a habit may seem unlikely to outsiders. But if you believe in it, it can work. ♍ VIRGO August 24 to September 22 You have a star mix of commonsense and inspiration that can really get things done and in enjoyable ways. A role linked to organising events, or helping others do so, can be so close in your future. Make sure you read any 'E' messages carefully, as there may be very different meaning between the lines. Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♎ LIBRA September 23 to October 23 What a natural learner you are with Mercury's eye on you. You can take in facts and figures and turn them into practical plans. You also pick up signals from people and start to see them in different ways. This can be the start of a new personal path. Passion links to someone who says very little but smiles a lot. ♏ SCORPIO October 24 to November 22 When you move away from perfect answers you will be more ready to ask the right questions. Not everything or everyone you want may get in line straight away but you have the planet patience to wait. A Mars success streak speeds up a contest entry and there can be a surprise place available by the end of the day. Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♐ SAGITTARIUS November 23 to December 21 Connecting with certain people on a deeper level happens naturally with the moon's influence. You can believe those murmurs in your mind and heart. The question is, what to do with them? You are the only person who can answer it. A very new fitness activity can be calling you and it brings a love bonus with it. Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♑ CAPRICORN December 22 to January 20 It is tempting to say yes to the first offer on the table. But your chart brings you bargaining skills, so hold tight and see what happens next. Leave all pathways open so you can go back if you decide. As for love, around 4 o'clock can be your passion moment – to speak or hear some life-changing words. Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions 2 ♒ AQUARIUS January 21 to February 18 The light-hearted side of Jupiter is at play in your chart with Mercury's practical oversight. What seems like a silly entertainment idea could really take off when you give it the right attention. In love, too, nothing is too minor to talk through, especially if it is affecting a partner. So be prepared to listen well. Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♓ PISCES February 19 to March 20 Checking with someone close that your memories of an event or a conversation are the same is a smart move. One tiny difference can create a distance but when you help each other understand, this gap closes. A secret deep in your heart may feel safer there but when you think about sharing it, something shifts.

4 Ways Airlines Can Win With Real-Time Retailing

Skift

9 hours ago

Business
Skift

4 Ways Airlines Can Win With Real-Time Retailing

Legacy pricing systems are holding airlines back from delivering the level of personalization, revenue optimization, and cross-channel consistency that modern travelers expect. IBS Software's forward-looking approach offers a clear path to higher revenue and improved traveler experiences. This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. In a world where e-commerce platforms can instantly tailor pricing and promotions to every shopper, it seems almost unthinkable that many airlines still operate with pricing systems built in the 1970s. Today's travelers expect the same level of speed, personalization, and seamlessness they experience with top e-commerce platforms — and airlines that can't deliver risk falling behind. This disconnect is even more striking given that ancillary revenue hit a record $118 billion in 2023, according to Skift Research, highlighting how crucial it has become for airlines to dynamically price and personalize offers in real time. Yet many still rely on outdated technology that limits both revenue potential and customer engagement. Why Legacy Systems Hold Airlines Back 'The problem with older systems is that they're bulky and slow,' said Ben Simmons, VP and regional head of Europe and Africa at IBS Software. 'They weren't built for the speed and flexibility today's market demands. Our real-time pricing tools, powered by AI, are leaner, more responsive, and more cost-effective. They help airlines respond instantly to demand and deliver smarter offers to their customers.' A new video from IBS Software illustrates what this next generation of airline retailing could look like — faster, more personalized, and better connected across channels. That vision is at the core of IBS Software's new airline retailing manifesto. SkiftX sat down with Simmons to explore its four guiding principles, developed to help airlines move beyond legacy systems and adopt a more dynamic, customer-centric approach. 1. Real-Time Pricing Unlocks Revenue Potential Traditional airline pricing models are slow and inflexible, making it difficult for carriers to respond quickly to shifts in demand or competitive pressures. Although the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) updates fares several times a day, this cadence still falls short of the speed and adaptability seen in industries like e-commerce. By contrast, AI-driven, real-time pricing empowers airlines to optimize revenue by instantly adjusting fares in response to traveler behavior and changing market conditions. According to Simmons, this evolution isn't just about updating prices faster — it's about rethinking what's being sold altogether: 'You're not just pushing a seat anymore. You're offering a seat, a meal, a premium experience — priced dynamically based on real demand.' In this model, airline sales become full-service retailing opportunities, where the focus shifts from simply selling tickets to curating and monetizing the entire traveler experience. IBS Software's approach leverages dynamic pricing to enable limitless price points, tailored in real time to each customer's journey. Airlines no longer need to rely on opening and closing fare classes — instead, they can intelligently price products at the moment of decision, aligning perfectly with fluctuating demand. But optimizing revenue is just one side of the equation. Delivering the right offer to the right traveler at the right time requires real-time personalization. 2. Personalization Must Be Instant, Not Predefined Sending the same 'exclusive' offer to every traveler falls short of true personalization. AI-driven retailing changes the game by enabling airlines to create real-time, customized offers based on individual factors like customer intent, loyalty status, and purchase history. This capability is critical as airlines shift from broad, one-size-fits-all promotions to targeted, dynamically bundled fares and ancillaries. 'For example, a mother flying with her infant might see very different bundles than a solo business traveler booking just two days before departure,' Simmons said. 'This is real-time personalization in action, as shown in our retailing video — smart technology that helps airlines deliver more relevant, timely offers to every customer.' These micro-moments of relevance allow airlines to evolve from reactive selling to proactive engagement — boosting loyalty, increasing conversion rates, and enhancing the overall passenger experience. With AI, every touchpoint becomes an opportunity to reflect the traveler's immediate needs and intent. But to maximize the value of tailored offers, airlines must go a step further — ensuring that what's offered is not only personalized but also available and packaged in ways that meet real-time demand. 3. Real-Time Stock and Bundling Prevents Revenue Loss While seat inventory is often managed dynamically, many ancillaries — such as baggage fees, premium seating, and upgrades — are still governed by outdated, manual systems. This disconnect limits revenue potential. However, airlines adopting modern pricing strategies through NDC (New Distribution Capability) can unlock significant gains. According to Skift Research, this approach can generate an additional $5.30 per passenger — translating to approximately $500 million in extra revenue for Lufthansa and $1 billion for American Airlines. 'In the traditional world, dynamic pricing of ancillaries is virtually non-existent,' Simmons noted. 'We use AI to analyze past behavior and compute the right prices and bundles in real time. One of our airline customers saw a 20 to 25% revenue increase just from dynamically pricing their seat maps.' By combining real-time inventory with dynamic bundling, airlines can move beyond selling individual products and start offering complete travel experiences. This approach not only reduces revenue leakage from mispriced or unavailable ancillaries but also opens the door to new retail categories — from in-flight upgrades to third-party partnerships. Still, even the most well-designed bundles and pricing models can fall short if travelers encounter inconsistent experiences across booking channels. 4. Omnichannel Consistency Builds Competitive Advantage Today's travelers expect seamless and consistent experiences, no matter where they book. But as airlines adopt dynamic pricing through modern API-driven channels, GDS systems that rely on legacy pricing models can struggle to keep up — leading to pricing and content discrepancies. These gaps, often rooted in uneven adoption of NDC standards, result in missed sales opportunities and customer frustration. By adopting real-time, omnichannel retailing strategies, airlines can align pricing and availability across all touchpoints while reducing reliance on costly third-party distribution. Lufthansa, for example, cut its distribution costs from €524 million in 2018 to €302 million in 2022, according to Skift Research. 'Direct channels give airlines better insight into their customers, which makes personalization more effective,' Simmons said. 'That's why having a modern, flexible system matters. It helps airlines deliver the right offers, in the right moment, to drive more value from every interaction.' IBS Software's platform supports this approach by acting as a single source of truth for offers. It ensures consistency in what travelers see while enabling airlines to tailor strategies by channel — strengthening brand trust and unlocking more intelligent, channel-specific pricing and merchandising. The Future of Airline Retailing Is Now While much of the industry is still evaluating what the future of retailing could look like, IBS Software is already making it a reality with a fully integrated, real-time retailing platform. With the IATA Annual General Meeting on the horizon in early June, there's no better moment for airlines to reimagine their retail strategies and take bold steps toward real-time, personalized commerce. 'Don't just observe. Take action,' Simmons said. 'When we show airline executives what's possible, like real-time ancillary sales across partner carriers, it literally blows them away. The old systems are overly complex, expensive, and full of friction. The new world is simply better for both airlines and travelers.' For more information about IBS Software's iRetail solution for airlines, click here. This content was created collaboratively by IBS Software and Skift's branded content studio, SkiftX.

The plan for nationwide fiber internet might be upended for Starlink

The Verge

11 hours ago

Business
The Verge

The plan for nationwide fiber internet might be upended for Starlink

For about 15 percent of US households as of 2023, the only internet options are crappy, especially in rural areas. But thanks to the US Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which aims to connect everyone in the US to high-quality, mostly fiber-based internet, that's close to changing. Or at least, it was. The plan's lead architect, Evan Feinman, says that before he was forced out by the Trump administration in March, three US states were just one 'minor administrative step' away from connecting their first residents under BEAD. In fact, he says, they could have started the process already — if not for US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a recent Trump appointee. In March, Lutnick announced a 'rigorous review' of BEAD, which he claims is too 'woke' and filled with 'burdensome regulations.' Now the plan may change. Lutnick's changes to BEAD could hand a lot of the program's money over to private interests like Elon Musk's satellite internet provider, Starlink. And for every person whose home is served by a Starlink connection, their internet will likely be slower, less reliable, and more expensive than what BEAD might have gotten them with fiber. You can think of BEAD as a modern version of the nationwide US telephone network or electrification projects. It's been more than three years since the Biden administration established the $42.5 billion program, and so far, it hasn't actually connected anyone to the internet — a common criticism coming from the political right. But Feinman says that's by design. 'At every step of the game, states were screaming that we were going too fast,' he tells The Verge. 'When we made allocation, more than a dozen states sent us letters saying, 'Go slower, go slower, go slower.'' In fact, Feinman says, the first states would already have started construction if it wasn't for delays by the Trump administration, which has been encouraging states to redo finished phases of the program to make more space for satellite internet. That shift, Feinman said in April, could effectively mean 'millions of private capital is in the garbage.' Until now, BEAD has spent its time laying the groundwork to connect people. The states were given a year and a half to come up with proposals. According to the BEAD progress dashboard, 38 states have either begun or, in the case of West Virginia, finished picking service providers for the proposals. Nevada, Delaware, and Louisiana are just waiting for final approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration so they can sign contracts with companies, start laying fiber, and setting up infrastructure. 'More than a dozen states sent us letters saying, 'Go slower'' In his March statement about BEAD's review, Lutnick accused the Biden administration of 'woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations.' The Commerce Department 'is revamping the BEAD program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by outcomes.' He didn't specify what he hoped the makeup of this 'tech-neutral' approach would look like. But Feinman told Financial Times in March that before he left, Lutnick had instructed BEAD's workers to give more priority to satellite connectivity and 'singled out Musk's provider, Starlink.' Musk, of course, has been a key player in the Trump administration as well as a vocal critic of BEAD. He's also been accused of trying to enrich himself using his unofficial, yet seemingly very powerful position within the US government. The Wall Street Journal reported Lutnick planned to overhaul the program in a way that could funnel as much as $20 billion, or close to half the program's overall funds, to Musk's Starlink. When I asked Feinman about this number, he said it's hard to know how much more money will go to satellite networks, but that the changes Lutnick is proposing 'will shift tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of locations away from getting a fiber connection and on to the satellite networks.' As for Lutnick's 'tech-neutral' comment, Brian Mitchell, director of Nevada broadband office OSIT, says, 'I think that's what we did from the start.' Given Nevada's vast geography and sparse population, he says, 'it was never going to be realistic for us to do 100 percent fiber like you might see elsewhere.' Nevada's final proposal called for fiber internet in 80 percent of its locations, with satellite and fixed wireless internet making up what's left. As an example of what's on the line, Feinman says West Virginia's proposal included 'a fiber connection for every single West Virginia home and business' with $150 million to spare and ahead of its deadline. That sounds pretty good for a state that says it ranks 50th out of 52 (all the states plus DC and Puerto Rico) in broadband connectivity. Now, plans like West Virginia's could shift many of the proposed fiber connections to satellite instead. Currently, the BEAD program requires states to prioritize fiber over any other connection method for a given location, unless building it out would cost more than a certain cap — a cap each state was allowed to set. But one of Lutnick's ideas is apparently to issue a single nationwide cap. According to Feinman, if Lutnick's 'one-size-fits-all cap' is low enough, satellite internet companies will always win out. In Nevada, for instance, that could see the ratio of fiber-to-satellite flipping from around 80 percent fiber to about 70 percent satellite internet, according to Feinman. Not long after Lutnick announced his BEAD review, Feinman emailed his team to say he was leaving and warned that Lutnick's actions could mean 'stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer.' Feinman says that he had offered to continue running BEAD, but that the administration declined to renew his tenure. Although Lutnick hasn't detailed specific plans for BEAD, he's already at work changing the program. Near the end of March, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced he'd met with Lutnick and got his state a 90-day extension that Feinman says West Virginia will use to reopen service provider bidding, endangering the state's pending fiber agreements. The Commerce Department has since issued a blanket invitation to all states to seek such extensions. That likely means at least some states will turn to slower, pricier internet for their citizens. There are states where Starlink makes sense. Mitchell says that his state 'knew that satellite was going to play a big part in connecting Nevadans, and that's the result that we delivered.' Satellite connections make up 10 percent of the state's final proposal. That's a 'great result for Nevadans,' he says, adding that providers are prepared to sign contracts and start building out connections 'as soon as the paperwork comes in from NIST,' or the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The first Nevadans could be connected as soon as this summer, according to Mitchell. (Neither NIST nor the NTIA responded when The Verge asked about the status of those approvals.) Continued delays could be costly. Garry Gomes, CEO of Sky Fiber in Nevada, urged Lutnick earlier this month to push Nevada's BEAD program forward in a letter to the NTIA forwarded to The Verge by OSIT. He said Sky Fiber — Nevada's biggest awardee under BEAD — has 'already invested over $360,000 in equipment, engineering, and staffing' and that its teams are ready to 'immediately' start construction on BEAD deployment. 'Yet the project remains stalled,' Gomes wrote. 'Delays not only risk higher costs and lost labor but also erode public confidence in what is arguably the most ambitious and promising broadband investment in our nation's history.' Would more Starlink involvement be such a bad thing? Sure, it doesn't come close to touching fiber, but a service only has to offer over 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up, with no less than 100 milliseconds of latency, to qualify as 'reliable broadband internet' under BEAD. Feinman says Starlink, while a 'really really good technology,' offers service that's 'barely nosing over' that requirement. This was something that Ookla echoed in December with its median findings from Starlink users in Maine, showing that median users saw 116.77Mbps down and 18.17Mbps up. But, hey, a D minus is still a passing grade, right? But while there's room in BEAD for satellite internet, it's not a replacement for hard-wired, ground-based connections. Even Musk himself has said that, having called satellite a 'nice complement' to tech like fiber and 5G back in 2021. Performance-wise, Starlink pales in comparison to fiber, which increasingly offers as much as 5 gigabits per second, down and up. That's more than 43 times faster than Ookla's reported median speed for Starlink. It's 20 times faster than 249Mbps, the best-case-scenario throughput the company shows for my midwestern address. And it's hardly worth comparing the upload speeds between the two options. Starlink service isn't just undeniably slower than fiber; it tends to be more expensive, too. Its fixed service is $80–$120 per month and comes with pricey upfront equipment fees. (Starlink's site advertises $30–$50 monthly, but when I tried to sign up for service while reporting this out, the price jumped to $120 a month with a $349 equipment fee, for a 'total due today' of $376.57.) In some areas, Starlink's website says its equipment is free if you sign a 12-month contract. Meanwhile, AT&T offers a gigabit fiber plan in my city of Milwaukee for $80 per month, with a $150 equipment fee. 'Nobody is campaigning on slower, more expensive internet for their constituents' Even if all things were equal, Feinman says the company can't scale to the needs of the program, as it 'doesn't have the capacity to serve that many locations.' What's more, it's costly to maintain Starlink's service, which requires rocket launches into space to replace dying or outmoded satellites. Subterranean fiber, on the other hand, can last decades before needing to be replaced. Before the Trump administration started futzing with BEAD, Feinman says the program enjoyed a great deal of bipartisan support. 'This is not what anybody outside of a very small circle of Trump administration folks wanted the program to become,' he says. 'This is not what Senate Republicans wanted it to become. It's not what any member of the Democratic coalition on Capitol Hill wanted. It's not what Republican governors wanted. It's not what the industry wanted.' Mitchell echoes that, saying that both Republicans and Democrats in his state have 'been very supportive' and adding that 'nobody is campaigning on slower, more expensive internet for their constituents.' He also says he doesn't think that has changed as the administration changed hands. 'All of our local officials and local governments are excited for who was awarded,' Mitchell says, 'and are ready to start working with them to issue the necessary permits so they can move forward with deployment.' Instead, they're waiting for Lutnick's review. A bipartisan group of 115 state legislators from 28 states signed a letter to Lutnick in April, stating that while they welcome some changes to BEAD, they urge him to make them optional. 'At this late stage, major changes would undermine our work and delay deployment by years,' they wrote. As for what's next, Feinman says he's working hard to make noise about what's being done with the program in an effort to preserve its core mission of connecting everyone to high-speed broadband internet. His departure letter in March said he thought the BEAD program would still mostly work even without so-called 'woke' requirements, which include things like fair and safe labor practices as well as outreach to historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. He also said 'shovels could already be in the ground … in half the country by summer' without Lutnick's proposed changes and that if the administration let the program move forward, 'it would be a huge political win for the Trump team.'

Young people and newcomers fuel runaway debt growth: report

National Post