John B. Horrigan

Having the sound off makes me appreciate the acting more

Just yesterday! A great Oriole!

Inside Black Policy: Tech – July 2025 - Joint Center 

I’m honored to be featured in the @JointCenter's Voices with Vision series this month, and grateful to be in community with others to shape what’s next in tech policy.

Check it out here: jointcenter.org/inside-black...

Budgeting for Broadband: What Losing the ACP Means to Household Budgets and Behavior When the Affordable Connectivity Program ended, the question for most people was not whether to keep service but how to keep it while juggling other household needs.

We talked to people. Losing ACP meant tighter household budgets, rationing access at home, side jobs to pay for service. Real frustration over lack of choice for low-cost service options. See Budgeting for Broadband. @bentoninstitute.bsky.social www.benton.org/publications...

Just made may way thru this ... Fascinating & hard-to-stomach all at once. The reporter/writer for the @newyorker.com did a great job letting Yarvin's ideas, such as they are, speak for themselves. Well worth reading!

Trump falsely called internet program a racial ‘handout’ President Donald Trump said that the Digital Equity Act is a “handout based on race” and illegal. Congress approved the act to expand broadband access to many groups, not just racial minorities.

The Digital Equity Act not “based on race” Politifact finds — www.politifact.com/factchecks/2...

So we'll deserved!

The ACP Boosted Rural Adoption and Helped Keep the Subscription Vulnerable Online The Affordable Connectivity Program supported broadband adoption

The Affordable Connectivity Program was a big deal.

Not sure how many of my Bluesky followers care about my work, but my latest is relevant for broadband/telecom policy types.

www.benton.org/blog/acp-boo...

You are talking about the crisis of young people not knowing enough about Yorkshire pudding to opine on its acceptability at Christmas dinner. That 18% figure is _much_ lower in areas with a strong local news ecosystem

Would observe that the story initially trends latest numbers to Trump '16 figures in "how he's handling the transition." Far down is the trend data on how much lower DJT is compared to Obama, others.

Bidens’ final Christmas stays traditional — except for that weird tree This year’s White House decorations include a heavy dose of ‘Peace and Light’

Bidens’ final Christmas stays traditional — except for that weird tree

www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/1...
Shared in the spirit of 'erasing noxious graffiti' Headline is click bait, ledge is snark, and 'weird' is a matter of taste. @normornstein.bsky.social & @margaretsullivan

Predicted news cycle re: H Biden pardon
Mon: Outrage, post-hoc rationalization, & he's old
Tues: Family is everything for Biden (for Trump too)
Wed: Exec pardons are part of the fabric of democracy, warts & all
Thurs: How to fix presidential pardons.
Fri: Americans sure shop a lot during Dec.

I think the most terrifying thing for journalists (those with some stature) is the prospect of not being relevant. That leads to "stretching boundaries" to stay relevant. The greater the fear of irrelevance at places such as the NYT ed page, the more stretching of boundaries. Result: drivel.

US Affordable Connectivity Program is Closing the Digital Divide | TechPolicy.Press Tech Policy Press is a nonprofit media and community venture intended to provoke new ideas, debate and discussion at the intersection of technology and democracy. We publish opinion and analysis.

After FCC Chairwoman @jrosenworcel.bsky.social's warning that “If Congress does not provide additional funding for the ACP in the near future, millions of households will lose the ACP benefit that they use to afford internet service,” re-upping this by John Horrigan on the merits of the program:

techpolicy.press/us-affordabl...
My analysis of how the Affordable Connectivity Program is closing the digital divide.