More wireline news from across the web:
> Alaska-based GCI has partnered with mining company Teck Red Dog Operations to bring high-speed broadband services to the Teck zinc mining operation as well as the neighboring community of Noatak. Release
> As Ericsson waits for a sales boost that it predicts will come with the rise of 5G mobile networks, its revenue numbers are expected to wilt in the second quarter with a 22 percent net income drop. Bloomberg Technology article
> CenturyLink customers in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, metro area were without voice and internet service for as long as 40 hours this week. Tideland News article
> FairPoint customers at a meeting in Bangor expressed confusion over upcoming landline changes scheduled to take place next month. Bangor Daily News article
Wireless News
> Verizon said that its new pricing plans, introduced last week, are more popular among new and existing customers than either the "Verizon Plan" it introduced in 2015 or the "Share Everything" plan Verizon introduced in 2012. Article
> Some 76 percent of companies believe that making use of technologies related to the Internet of Things (IoT) will be critical for the future success of any organization, according to the fourth edition of the annual Vodafone IoT Barometer Report. Article
Cable News
> The American Cable Association lashed out at FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's announcement Thursday that his agency will not change rules governing broadcast retransmission licensing negotiations. Article
And finally … Ford is using helper robots in its Cologne, Germany, auto factory to work alongside humans as they build its line of Fiestas. The "co-bots" help fit shock absorbers onto the cars but can be programmed to do a number of tasks like making coffee, shaking hands, massaging your scalp, taking over the world – and other stuff. Anyway, all hail our co-bot overlords. AutoWeek article