The content team at Channel Partners tracks stories of interest to the technology advisor and wider channel communities. Anyone selling communication and connectivity solutions will want to stay abreast of these developing stories or catch up on ones they have missed. All links are valid as of Sept. 2.
Tech Advisors Move to Police Themselves Before the FCC Does
Technology Channel Sales Professionals (TCSP) is preparing to launch a certification program for technology advisors. The trade association completed a proof-of-concept program with 30 individuals and has drafted a code of ethics, TCSP President Bill Power told Channel Dive. The official certification program will likely start in Q4, according to Power. The TCSP launched six years ago as a lobbying group for TAs and technology services distributors. Read the Channel Dive story.
Verizon’s Comeback Shows Early Success Signs
How is Verizon doing after nearly a year since Dan Schulman stepped in as CEO? Suffice it to say, not too shabby. For starters, Verizon’s stock – up 21% – has outperformed its peers. Since Schulman took over, AT&T is up 1% and T-Mobile is down 19%, noted New Street Research analyst David Barden in a report for investors. Read the Fierce Network story.
AT&T Sues Over Charter’s Use of ‘Fiber-Powered’ Label for HFC
Perhaps dissatisfied with how its complaint with an advertising watchdog played out, AT&T has resorted to a lawsuit to fight Charter's use of the "fiber-powered" label to describe residential broadband services that are delivered over the operator's widely deployed hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network. AT&T filed a complaint Aug. 28 with the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas Dallas Division, alleging that Charter's use of "fiber-powered" to describe HFC-delivered residential broadband amounts to deceptive, false advertising. Read the Light Reading story.
AI Enters Cost Crunch Era as Hyperscalers Zero in on Affordability, Controls
AI affordability is becoming a top enterprise priority as agentic AI workloads drive token usage — and costs — far beyond early expectations. Hyperscalers including Microsoft, Google and others are racing to prove enterprise AI can scale responsibly, with cheaper models and cost controls. Read the Fierce Network story.
Agentic AI Shifts Pricing Models CIOs Rely On
Enterprise tech vendors are shifting to outcome-based pricing, and CIOs are working to understand what the change means for them. Vendors expect to be paid more, not less, as customers turn work over to AI agents. The benefit for customers, as vendors see it, is increased budget predictability. A completed task becomes a definitive measure of work, whereas token spend means CIOs may not know their true costs until the bill arrives. Read the Channel Dive story.
Nvidia Tips $3.5B Into MediaTek Partnership
Nvidia has forged yet another partnership with a key technology provider, this time with Taiwan chip firm MediaTek. The AI chip colossus has committed to buying $3.5 billion in MediaTek bonds in what it called a "deepening" of the two firms' "longstanding collaboration to build the next generations of AI computing platforms." The goal is to combine Nvidia's accelerated computing, AI, graphics and software with MediaTek's capabilities in custom silicon, HPC, SoC design and advanced packaging. Read the Light Reading story.
OpenAI Builds Energy Desk to Power AI Empire
OpenAI is hiring power traders and clean energy specialists in-house, treating electricity as core strategy rather than a procurement afterthought. Over the past month, the company has posted job listings for a Power Trading Lead and a Clean Energy and New Technology Lead, both sitting inside its infrastructure organization rather than bolted on as external consultants. Taken together, they mark OpenAI treating energy not as something it buys, but as something it actively manages. Read the Capacity Global story.