Numbers released by DISH Network show that Sling TV's 2.4 million subscribers make it the largest livestreaming service in the US. Sling is also currently the least expensive at $15-$20 cheaper than rivals such as YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.

DIRECTV Now customers may soon have the ability to watch a show or movie together even if they are not in the same place. A post from an AT&T employee indicates the company is considering "socialable" viewing.

DISH Network said it's making progress with the deployment of a network for narrowband IoT, which is estimated to cost between $500 million and $1 billion. Charlie Ergen, the company's chairman, admitted that "there will be a lot of obstacles in the way," but that the plan is on schedule to be complete in March 2020, and that it will meet the Federal Communications Commission's requirements for buildout.

The Federal Communications Commission has recently granted AT&T permission to conduct experiments using 3400-3600 MHz, 3700-4200 MHz, 28 GHz and a wide variety of other spectrum bands. Tests are due to begin on May 1, with the authorization set to expire on the same date in 2021.

Federal regulators on Thursday approved a plan to gradually end Universal Service Fund broadband subsidies in price-cap areas where the incumbent provider declined 2015 funds under the Connect America Fund II. In most areas, competitive carriers bid, although incumbents will continue to operate in regions where the Federal Communications Commission received no winning bids.

The government recently introduced the American Broadband Initiative by issuing a report that outlines a cross-agency strategy to improve rural broadband coverage and to increase investment in the sector from private companies. The road map lays out broad plans to streamline rules and to use government assets and properties to build infrastructure.

Daily screen time among youths younger than age 2 rose from 1.32 hours in 1997 to 3.05 hours in 2014, with most screen time spent watching TV, researchers reported in JAMA Pediatrics. The findings also showed that the 2.47 hours of average daily screen time among those ages 3 to 5 in 1997 didn't significantly increase in 2014, but time spent watching TV rose from just over an hour to more than two hours during the same period.

Several major studios, including Fox, Universal and Disney, are suing Omniverse One World Television on the grounds of copyright infringement for providing TV channel packages to a number of unlicensed streaming companies. Founder Jason DeMeo says he has a contract granting him permission to offer the programming; the studios say that is not the case.

LG has announced that several of its Wi-Fi connected smart appliances will receive Amazon Dash functionality. Consumers will be able to use the Dash replenishment feature by connecting the LG SmartThinQ app to their Amazon accounts.