If Starlink’s broadband coverage claims sounded too good to be true, that’s because they were, according to a decision released Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission.

The agency affirmed that Elon Musk’s satellite connectivity company is not eligible for nearly $900 million in rural broadband infrastructure subsidies it initially won in an auction. Although the company appeared to possess the prerequisite “legal, technical, and financial qualifications,” the FCC said that ultimately, “Starlink failed to demonstrate that it could deliver the promised service.”

The FCC “has a responsibility to be a good steward of limited public funds meant to expand access to rural broadband, not fund applicants that fail to meet basic program requirements,” Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

The agency specifically disqualified Musk’s company from receiving money from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, a $6 billion pool of subsidies aimed at delivering high-speed internet service to places that are completely disconnected. The company made initial commitments to serve nearly 643,000 locations across 35 states, qualifying on its face for $886 million in infrastructure funds.

However, when the FCC examined Starlink’s application more closely—as it did for all subsidy recipients—it concluded Starlink’s technology simply couldn’t get the job done.

Keep reading here.—KG

There’s nothing more momentous than two powerhouse brands coming together to design next-level tech you can wear…and it’s happening right now.

Meta and Ray-Ban combined the perfect blend of style and cutting-edge technology in an unforgettable partnership: Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. That’s right—the next gen of smart glasses has ~arrived~.

With a variety of styles to choose from, the Ray-Ban Meta collection has a built-in 12 MP camera and five-microphone system so you can capture moments, make calls, listen to tunes, livestream, and even ask Meta AI for info without missing the moment.

Available as both sunglasses and optical glasses, step into—and see through—the future with your very own pair, just in time for gift-giving season.

The UAW is escalating its fight to organize tens of thousands of autoworkers.

The union on Monday filed unfair labor practice charges with federal labor regulators, accusing three foreign automakers of union busting. The claims stem from what the union says are illegal tactics by management at a Honda plant in Indiana, a Hyundai factory in Alabama, and a Volkswagen facility in Tennessee where workers have been organizing.

“Our message to workers everywhere is simple: The UAW has your back,” UAW President Shawn Fain said on Facebook Live on Monday. “And our message to the companies is clear: An attack on a worker anywhere is an attack on workers everywhere. If you come after one auto worker, you’re coming after all of us.”

Keep reading here.—JG

A big appetite for all things AI has helped propel Adobe to a banner year as the software giant wove generative tech throughout its suite of creative tools.

Those boom times showed some slight signs of stalling this week: While Adobe reported overall strong earnings and revenue growth, its stock slipped around 6% amid an outlook for next quarter that was slightly weaker than what analysts had expected, according to Yahoo! Finance.

The results came amid signs that Wall Street is increasingly looking for reassurance that big pushes into generative AI can be turned into money-making businesses.

Adobe has spent much of the year weaving its image-generation AI, called Firefly, throughout products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and its stock image bank. The company claims its commitment to purportedly copyright-safe training and deep archive of imagery sets it apart from its competition in this area. The company also said it has seen strong adoption and demand for Firefly so far.

“We continue to see really, really strong adoption and usage of it, partially as a standalone business, but also integrated into our Photoshop and Illustrator and these existing workflows,” David Wadhwani, president of Adobe’s digital media business, said in the earnings call.

Keep reading here.—PK

Usually, we write about the business of tech. Here, we highlight the *tech* of tech.

Watch out: At this point, we’ve all become numb to the surveillance state. Whomst among us hasn’t cracked a joke after a targeted Instagram ad for an ergonomic office chair or a dog sweater after discussing, respectively, our increasingly frequent back pain as we close in on 40 and our chilly little mutt?

We’re even inuring our children to it at this time of year, with some arguing that the Elf on the Shelf serves to make our kiddos comfortable with the panopticon.

Nonprofit news outlet The Markup consistently punches back on what sometimes feels like a hopeless slide toward 1984, providing consumers with super helpful guidance on how to shore up their online security and bolster their privacy. The newsroom recently published a helpful how-to on how to opt out of “automated content recognition” on smart TVs—software that tracks what you’re watching.

It may seem trivial to prevent advertisers from being privy to what you’re watching, but your GBBO binge is not their business! We’re going to follow The Markup’s guidance on the “10 to 37 clicks” (🫠) to turn it off.

Notopilot: It’s probably not news to you that Tesla issued a massive recall this week of “almost every single Tesla sold in the US,” Morning Brew noted. The fix is a matter of a wireless software update, the New York Times reported, which began rolling out this week.