Policy & Regulation

A test aboard the research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 2 demonstrated a compact, self-contained actuator capable of cutting undersea structures more than two miles down, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of the cables that carry 95 percent of intercontinental internet traffic.

Brussels awarded a six-year framework contract for sovereign cloud services to Post Telecom, STACKIT, Scaleway, and Proximus, using a new eight-criteria sovereignty framework that allows Google Cloud to participate only through the Proximus-led consortium.

The European Commission must deliver its first mandatory review of the Digital Markets Act by May 3, weighing calls to expand the law into AI and cloud services while fending off Trump administration tariff threats over $7 billion in cumulative tech fines.

British and Norwegian forces tracked an Akula-class attack submarine and two GUGI deep-sea research vessels operating near critical undersea cable infrastructure north of the UK for over a month before the Russian fleet withdrew.

The HKMA selected HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial from 36 applicants to issue Hong Kong dollar-pegged stablecoins under the city's new Stablecoins Ordinance, with launches expected by late 2026.

New regulations effective April 10 ban algorithmic price discrimination and merchant coercion on Chinese internet platforms, capping a year-long crackdown on subsidy-fueled competition among Alibaba, JD.com, and Meituan.

At least four bipartisan bills in the 119th Congress would create tax credits, authorize funding, and stand up USDA task forces to reduce US dependence on petroleum-derived chemicals by scaling plant-based biomanufacturing.

Congress allocates $2 million from the USGS ShakeAlert budget to begin building Alaska's first earthquake early warning system, targeting 90 percent of the state's population.

The FCC will vote April 30 on replacing 1990s-era power limits for LEO satellite constellations, a move that could reshape competition between Starlink, Amazon Leo, and legacy operators.

FinCEN and OFAC jointly proposed anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance rules for stablecoin issuers on April 8, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged Congress to advance the CLARITY Act to complete the federal digital asset regulatory framework.

Public Notice DA 26-314 invites industry comment on opening the 5030-5091 MHz, 960-1164 MHz, CBRS 3.5 GHz, 450 MHz, and 24 GHz bands to drone operations, creating innovation zones, and modernizing counter-UAS experimental licensing, with responses due May 1.

The Netherlands signed a $627 million contract with Raytheon for a complete Patriot fire unit to rebuild air defense capacity after donating systems to Ukraine, rushing to secure a production slot before a 2033 backlog.