Something that's been argued by various commentators — including here at tiny FWIW — for years

/

“It’s gonna go right there, any decade now. Next to that pie”

I wrote about this same subject back in September 2023, and obviously, nothing’s changed, except that rip-off’s gotten worse.

Biden's Broadband Boondoggle Should Embrace Satellite Internet Instead

Rick Moran, PJ Media:

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set aside $42.5 billion for building out broadband internet connections for rural America.

"With this funding, along with other federal investments, we’re going to be able to connect every person in America to reliable high-speed Internet by 2030," Joe Biden said in June 2023.

As of Dec. 2025, not a single household, rural or otherwise, has been hooked up to any broadband provider. In fact, just 30 states have had their plans for rural broadband approved. 

At this rate, the program might cover "every person in America" by 2050.

The administrative holdups are built into the system. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program must approve all state plans and ensure they comply with existing federal rules. And yes, that included DEI considerations until Donald Trump took office.

…. "In addition, states had to prove that they promoted participation from minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and 'other socially or economically disadvantaged individual-owned businesses,'" reported The Free Press. In addition, states had to create a "Five-Year Action Plan that required collaborating with unions and 'underrepresented communities,' including prisoners, LGBTQI+ individuals, women, and people of color."

…. Meanwhile, there's been a dynamic revolution in satellite internet. Elon Musk's Starlink system of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) providing internet worldwide just signed up their eight millionth customer. And Jeff Bezos's Amazon Leo is gearing up to offer direct-to-consumer internet service. Amazon has invested billions into Leo technology, and already has more than 150 satellites in orbit.

The advantages of satellite internet are becoming too numerous to ignore. When Musk first applied for BEAD approval so that Starlink customers could receive subsidies as an internet provider in 2024, they were pegged as an "alternative internet provider."

Since then, the Starlink system has dramatically increased upload and download speeds, making its performance comparable to that of most fiber systems. 

The clear advantages in cost that Starlink has over fiber should force BEAD to reassess the company's status as an "alternative" internet provider.

Reason.com:

Fiber broadband depends on laying long stretches of physical cable, something that is often expensive or unprofitable. For example, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that the federal plan to expand broadband into Nebraska's Winnebago Tribe was expected to cost an average of $53,000 per household or workplace; in parts of Montana, some connections are estimated at a whopping $300,000 each. These costs frequently mean rural fiber expansion depends heavily on government subsidies.

The economics of satellite internet are fundamentally different. Starlink installs for about $600 in hardware. There's no cost per mile, deployment is immediate, and maintenance is minimal. It's a self-sustaining model with minimal subsidization necessary.

Reason.com notes that "with SpaceX continuing to launch not only more LEO satellites but higher-performing ones with its second generation, the company's service quality is poised to continue advancing."

Naturally, the fiber industry is not happy with opening the door for satellite internet companies to get a piece of that $42.5 billion in funding.

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnic "urging that BEAD remain centered on fiber deployment, while five other industry associations issued a joint letter to President Donald Trump, emphasizing BEAD as a 'golden opportunity' to 'drive as much fiber infrastructure as feasible into our country.'"

Meanwhile, the Communication Workers of America (CWA), a powerful radical left union, accused Lutnick of "prioritizing the 'interests of a few billionaires and satellite companies,' and dismissing LEO technology as 'expensive and unreliable.'"

It seems monumentally foolish to invest $42.5 billion in a broadband system when a radically less expensive alternative is readily available. However, we should never forget what S.R. Haddon, the billionaire who figured prominently in the film Contact, said:  "First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price?

And it worked — the bad guys have won

/

there are no illegal aliens, just new permanent residents you haven’t met yet

DHS abandons sweeping ICE raids as Trump's deportation support plummets: report

The Department of Homeland Security is amending its immigration enforcement operations by moving away from raids targeting all illegal immigrants in the U.S. and focusing more on the ones who have committed serious offenses, according to a report.

Teams under U.S. Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino will shift their focus to specific targets, including illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes, NewsNation reported.

The change means federal agents will put a smaller emphasis on carrying out large raids that have happened at Home Depot stores and other locations, according to the outlet.

Just as handouts, once granted even on a so called “temporary” basis can never be ended – Congress is certain to cave this january and “extend” the extra Obamacare subsidies passed out during the COVID charade — 22 million illegal immigrants, once across the border, are here to stay.

The Cloward-Piven Strategy is alive and well

/

Sam Wilks offers a tidy synopsis of what’s going on:

The Hidden Hand: How Bureaucrats and Politicians Use Cloward-Piven to Maintain Power

Throughout history, the ruling elite have sought to consolidate power through an age-old strategy, they create a crisis, expand government control, and ensure dependency. This method has been refined into a systematic approach known as the Cloward-Piven strategy in the 1960s, an intentional overloading of social and economic systems to necessitate state intervention. By creating artificial scarcity, over-regulation, and economic instability, bureaucrats and politicians justify their own necessity, ensuring that the public remains reliant on their policies rather than on free-market solutions.

This is not accidental, nor an unintended consequence.

This is also why 22 states (including, of course, Connecticut) have sued to block the Trump administration’s demand for the identity, including social security numbers, of food stamp recipients. Already, just from a partial examination of data supplied by the handful of states who have complied auditors have uncovered 183,000 dead people receiving benefits and 500,000 collecting at least two payments a month. That’s without being able to look at the books, so far, of the 22 resisting states, including California and Minnesota.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions

/

Portland Maine Launches Review of Inclusionary Zoning as Developers Say Rules Are Stalling New Housing Projects

Portland city officials have hired a national consulting firm to review the city’s 10-year-old inclusionary zoning ordinance amid growing criticism from developers who contend the requirements are contributing to stalled housing projects.

The Planning and Urban Development Department selected CZB LLC earlier this month to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the ordinance, which currently requires 25 percent of units in new developments to be designated “workforce housing,” affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income.

…. Developers have been among the most vocal critics of the strengthened mandate, arguing that the 25 percent requirement, combined with high interest rates and rising construction costs, has made many projects financially unworkable.

Jonathan Culley, managing partner at Redfern Properties, said regulatory costs, including the inclusionary zoning requirement, are among the few expenses city officials can directly control. He noted that several projects, including a development on Washington Avenue, have stalled under current conditions.

“It would cost us $15 million to the city right off the bat,” Culley said of one proposed project, reflecting broader concerns that few new developments are breaking ground under the existing rules.

Supporters of the policy say inclusionary zoning is intended to increase affordable housing supply, while critics say it can deter construction without significantly increasing overall housing production.

I wrote about this disastrous housing policy back in November, and you can get the details there, but it’s the preceding quote that’s my point this morning: “Supporters say inclusionary zoning is intended to increase affordable housing”. In the face of 10 years of failure of that policy to produce more affordable housing — in fact, it’s caused a reduction of supply —its advocates refuse to reconsider and try something else, but insist that it be continued “because our intentions are good”. That’s the same rationale used to justify everything done in the Great War on Poverty: 67 trillion spent, yet the poor are still among us; in fact, as was pointed out some few years ago, The poor shall never cease out of the land.

Hence the title of my November piece:

Cognitive dissonance in North Mamdaniland

Some call it murder. Democrat Congressman: "I misspoke when I described the killing of a National Guardsman and the critical injuring of another an 'unfortunate accident' — I meant to say 'incident'”.

/

unfortunately, sarah beckstrom is dead, died mysteriously in an accident witnessed by a Mr. Rahmanullah Lakanwa of Afghanistan

First This:

“Murder” is the deliberate premeditated killing of another; an “accident” or “incident” is merely an acknowledgement that, as the Democrats’ favorite Somali bigamist said of 9/11, “something happened”. Bennie Thompson surely knows the difference, and chose his terms deliberately and consciously.

Aiken Road sells

/

21 Aiken Road, $6.2 million. Started off in May at $7.250 million, but Krissy Blake held the listing and found the buyer, so she’s probably already over her disappointment on not getting that full price, or soon will be.

The house is surprisingly nice, but its 10.3 acres are the draw here: it’s easy to look over the meadows and feel as though one is in Vermont. The late owner (died in 2002, held in trust since) was Harry Keefe, who was quite the man: founder of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, philanthropist, horseman, even added a bit of combat to his resume by serving three years in WW II —the ship he was commanding was sunk by enemy fire off Omaha Beach on D Day, “and didn’t lose a man”. I continue to be humbled by the men and women of the preceding generation.

Brutalism comes to Byram

/

Six-Unit Residential Building Proposed to Replace 2-Family House in GB Zone

A pre-application has been filed with Greenwich Planning & Zoning for a site plan and special permit for “The Post Modern,” a six-unit development at 43 Old Post Road #2, where currently there is a two-family house built in 1900.

The property is located in the GB zone. Across the street is the back entrance to the office building at 411 West Putnam Ave. To the west is the office building at 55 Old Post Rd #2.To the east is a surface parking lot for 411 West Putnam Ave.

The proposed building would be four stories high and contain six residential units, with a total of 12 bedrooms. There are two parking spaces today. That would increase to 15 (10 in a parking garage and 5 outdoor).

The proposal is being submitted pursuant to the town’s workforce housing reg 6-110, with one unit proposed to be an affordable housing unit.