Verizon is reportedly near a deal to buy broadband provider Frontier Communications https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-09%2F8b025cc0-6afe-11ef-bfff-4f0f1c8f6c4c&resize=1400%2C787&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=dc65992ca5132763a94830a2a70b04eb3eb97174 Verizon is reportedly near a deal to buy fiber provider Frontier Communications. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal said that an announcement could come as early as this week, provided discussions don’t “hit any last-minute snags.” Frontier has a market value of over $7 billion and provides broadband to around three million locations in 25 states. The company would help Verizon boost its Fios fiber network and better compete with AT&T. The carrier has seen slowing wireless revenue and views fiber investment as a growth area. Acquiring companies with existing infrastructure, like Frontier, is potentially less expensive and time-consuming than rolling out its own network. Based in Dallas, Frontier is currently upgrading its copper landline system to fiber — enabling it to offer a 5Gbps symmetrical plan. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. It pivoted to a “leaner business,” as the WSJ describes, before running into concerns that it would run out of money before it finishes its current upgrades. The FTC sued the company in 2021 for misrepresenting its speeds. Under a 2022 settlement, Frontier was required to stop lying about its internet performance, dole out over $8.5 million and install fiber service in 60,000 California homes over four years. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Netflix is working on an animated Twilight TV show based on Midnight Sun https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-09%2Ffabcba30-6afc-11ef-be7f-475435f5504b&resize=1400%2C792&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=b31189b61f2668590f5e8990c1db0636a849ab09 In case the many books and films from the Twilight universe haven't provided enough fodder for your fandom, there's a new TV project in the works about the love-em-or-hate-em sparkly vampires of the Pacific Northwest. An animated series adaptation of Midnight Sun is currently in development at Netflix. Published in 2020, Midnight Sun is a companion to the original Twilight novel, telling the same events of that book from the perspective of Edward Cullen. Yes, the sick, masochistic lion gets to share his side of the story of how he falls for the stupid lamb known as Bella Swan. The announcement from Netflix doesn't share much beyond the show's existence and the production team. Author Stephanie Meyer will be an executive producer for the series, as she has been for most other projects in the Twilight realm. The only other notable behind-the-scenes news is that Sinead Daly will be the series' writer as well as an executive producer. Daly's past writing credits include Tell Me Lies, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Get Down. The art team can make or break an animated show's success, so I'm very curious to find out what studio will be brave enough to try recapturing the classic image of Robert Pattinson nearly losing his lunch at his first contact with Kristen Stewart and her intoxicating blood. That and other details about cast and release date will be revealed closer to the show's debut. Netflix has been putting a lot of resources into its animated programming slate. The streaming service has picked up several series inspired by video game franchises, such as Arcane, Tomb Raider and Minecraft. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Instagram Stories are getting comments https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-09%2F3d3d6960-6a1f-11ef-bbaf-c124f96ed96b&resize=1400%2C787&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=18d8d494bbf95e2dc8bfbbaf42f44d7bf05a968e Instagram is rolling out comments for Stories. Previously, the short-lived Stories could only be replied to in direct messages. This new feature offers a more visible way for users to interact with their friends' posts. The original poster will not receive the comments in a DM; a rep from Meta said that "comments live only on your Story." Story comments can be turned on or off for any individual post. If enabled, comments can be seen by anyone following an account, but only mutuals can leave comments. As with the Story post type, the comments will disappear after 24 hours. Small profile images of the commenters will appear at the bottom of a person's Story icon, so you'll know there are comments attached before you tap to view the post. People can still choose to respond to Stories with a DM if the user has their account set to accept those messages. There's also an option to send a DM in response to a Story comment, which you can do by swiping left on the text and tapping the DM icon. Instagram has been giving users more ways to snazz up their Stories. The posts can be created with customizable templates, get an AI-generated background or use a growing number of interactive stickers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at