3G is ending. Who will be left behind?
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 November 2021
⏱️ ? minutes
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Summary
Why America’s digital divide could soon get worse. And, what happens when extremist beliefs move from the fringe to the mainstream.
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When they were rolled out nearly two decades ago, 3G wireless networks served as the bedrock of an explosion in cell phones and connected devices. Now, they’re being phased out by telecommunications companies that want to focus their money on their 4G and 5G networks. Cat Zakrzewski reports on the vulnerable Americans that could be left behind if the transition away from 3G networks isn’t done carefully. And if you use a 3G device, here’s what you need to know about the end of the 3G service.
On Monday, Stephen K. Bannon – one of President Donald Trump’s former advisers – walked into the FBI’s field office in Washington and turned himself in. He’d been charged with two counts of contempt of Congress the week before, having refused to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Hannah Allam reports on some of the other actors facing legal consequences for their involvement in the Capitol riot – and on how the ideologies that fueled the insurrection are finding new homes at school board and city council meetings.
The introduction to this episode has been updated for clarity.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So we're heading into the holiday shopping season and like everyone, I've been bombarded |
| 0:07.6 | with ads for connected everything. |
| 0:10.2 | I'm seeing smart fridges, smart TVs, the latest phones, and it's been a wild disconnect |
| 0:17.8 | from the reporting I've been doing for the past few weeks on the 3G shutdown. |
| 0:28.2 | That's Kat Socresky. |
| 0:29.5 | She covers tech policy for the post. |
| 0:31.7 | And she's talking about the shutdown of these old 3G wireless networks that power a lot |
| 0:36.4 | of the tech people are still using today. |
| 0:39.1 | Things like life alert alarms, older cell phones and tablets. |
| 0:43.4 | Right now, you know, there are many Americans who are reliant on older cell phones, who |
| 0:49.0 | have alarm systems in their phone, who maybe use devices like life alert, who are at risk |
| 0:55.8 | of losing service as early as February 2022, as companies try to move on to the next generation |
| 1:04.3 | of cell phone networks. |
| 1:07.2 | That can mean leaving behind some of America's most vulnerable populations. |
| 1:12.9 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. |
| 1:16.6 | I'm Renys Frenovsky. |
| 1:18.3 | It's Tuesday, November 16th. |
| 1:20.9 | Today, why America's digital divide could soon get worse? |
| 1:26.2 | And later in the show, reporting on the aftermath of an insurrection. |
| 1:38.0 | So cell phone companies are shutting down their older 3G networks next year. |
| 1:44.5 | And that is going to cut off service for some of the most vulnerable people who have older |
| 1:50.2 | phones, like older Americans and low-income Americans. |
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