The USDA is accepting applications for $20 million in grants to provide technical help for rural broadband projects under the infrastructure act. Funds under the Broadband Technical Assistance Program can be spent in such areas as network designs, feasibility studies and financial aid applications.

The Federal Communications Commission has created its own Space Bureau to be led by policy veteran Julie Kearney. Kearney notes that the office is tasked with "modernizing regulations to match our new realities" as the commission faces a deluge of satellite applications.

AT&T has wrapped up a lab test of what is said to be the first data connection in the US made using 5G standalone uplink 2-carrier aggregation. Combining the 850 MHz spectrum with the 3.7 GHz C-band doubled the throughput compared with using only the low-band n5 frequency band, AT&T said.

Astranis Space Technologies, a startup that makes geostationary satellites, raised $200 million structured as a mix of equity and debt. The company, which was reportedly valued at $1.6 billion, designs satellites that are intended to operate more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

Semtech brought out a chipset for use in 5G mobile devices targeting use in hot spots, laptops, smartphones and tablets. The company's PerSe Connect SX9376 is said to improve radio-frequency performance and connectivity.