Jun 16, 2020 - Technology

T-Mobile customers suffer daylong outage

A T-Mobile billboard in Times Square. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

T-Mobile customers endured a daylong service outage Monday that affected users nationwide.

Why it matters: Some had speculated that the issue was a more widespread attack on multiple internet services, but it looks like many of the problems reported at other carriers and internet services were tied to the T-Mobile outages — either calls that failed because they involved a T-Mobile customer or internet services that T-Mobile customers couldn't reach.

What they're saying: T-Mobile technology chief Neville Ray confirmed the issues on Twitter during the day and CEO Mike Sievert posted a note late Monday saying the issue was an "IP traffic related issue" that created capacity issues in the network core.

CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince said in a series of tweets that T-Mobile's issues were the result of a configuration change that led to a series of cascading issues. He also said the problems were limited to T-Mobile and shot down rumors of broader internet issues or a deliberate attack.

The big picture: Such cellular network outages are rare, but not unheard of.

Nonetheless, FCC chairman Ajit Pai said Monday night that his agency was investigating the issue.
"The T-Mobile network outage is unacceptable," Pai said in a tweet. "We're demanding answers — and so are American consumers."

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Kyle Daly

Updated Jun 23, 2020 - Technology

Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating rules on abusive behavior

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Twitter on Monday opted not to take down or flag a tweet from President Trump that baselessly tied mail-in ballots to voter fraud and foreign election interference. On Tuesday, meanwhile, the platform flagged a Trump tweet threatening "serious force" against protesters seeking to set up an "autonomous zone" in Washington for violating its rules on abusive behavior.

The big picture: President Trump continues to test tech platforms' willingness to crack down on abuse and misinformation he spreads on his social media accounts, a dynamic that will likely intensify as the election approaches and he seeks to raise doubts about potentially unfavorable outcomes.

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

Jun 23, 2020 - World

In media agency shakeup, conservative groups push for Falun Gong-backed internet tools

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

In the wake of a leadership change at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a small group of religious freedom advocates is trying to secure millions of dollars in funding for two internet censorship circumvention tools developed by supporters of the Falun Gong, a controversial religious group banned in China.

Why it matters: In recent years, Falun Gong supporters have made common cause with the global far-right, and a growing rapport between its advocates and U.S. ultra-conservatives within USAGM could override internal vetting processes and channel funding toward pet projects.

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Marisa Fernandez

Updated Jun 24, 2020 - Politics & Policy

States fight childhood hunger amid coronavirus pandemic

Billy Shore, CEO of the No Kid Hungry Campaign, and Rhonda Jackson, Louisiana Director of the No Kid Hungry Campaign. Photo: Axios Screenshot

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated childhood hunger among many families for the first time, Rhonda Jackson, director of the No Kid Hungry Campaign in Louisiana, said Wednesday at an Axios virtual event.

What she's saying: "Louisiana was one in four children that faced childhood hunger. Now the rest of the country looks like that. And what that looks like in real-time is parents having to make the decision if they’re going to actually feed a kid or if they’re going to have to perhaps buy medicine."