# Social Media Negligence Rulings, Utility Infrastructure Costs, Balcony Solar Bill, Wi-Fi Router Ban

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-gumbo-1477878/social-media-negligence-rulings-utility-infrastructure-costs-balcony-solar-bill-wi-fi-router-ban
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-gumbo-1477878/social-media-negligence-rulings-utility-infrastructure-costs-balcony-solar-bill-wi-fi-router-ban.md
Podcast: [Tech Gumbo](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-gumbo-1477878)
Published: 2026-04-06T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://techgumbo.podbean.com/e/social-media-negligence-rulings-utility-infrastructure-costs-balcony-solar-bill-wi-fi-router-ban/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bnsywz5diunc44tx/Tech_Gumbo-4Apr2026-_Seg_18ngxx.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tech-gumbo-1477878/episodes/social-media-negligence-rulings-utility-infrastructure-costs-balcony-solar-bill-wi-fi-router-ban
Duration seconds: 1319

## Resource

News and Updates: • Historic Liability Verdict: A California jury awarded $6 million to a plaintiff, ruling Meta and Google were negligent in designing addictive platforms that caused mental health issues. • Big Tobacco Comparison: Legal experts view these verdicts as a ”bellwether,” potentially triggering a wave of litigation similar to the 1990s crusade against the tobacco industry. • New Mexico Penalties: A separate New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect young users from online predators and misleading consumers. • Future Platform Changes: Industry experts suggest these losses may force companies to rewrite algorithms, limit auto-scrolling, or implement stricter age-gating to avoid future liability. • Grid Expansion Costs: U.S. utilities are planning $81 billion in upgrades to support AI data centers, sparking debates over whether tech giants or everyday consumers should pay. • Balcony Solar Bill: California’s SB 868 unanimously passed committee, allowing renters to plug small solar systems (up to 1,200W) directly into outlets without utility approval. • National Router Ban: The FCC banned sales of new foreign-made Wi-Fi routers, citing ”supply chain vulnerabilities” that could allow foreign actors to exploit residential and business networks.

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## Transcript

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