Next Century Cities urged Capitol Hill leaders Thursday to “acknowledge that digital infrastructure is essential and invest in the requisite broadband expansion, adoption programs, and network sustainability strategies that give Americans access to widespread digital opportunities.” The group cited “profound disruptions” from COVID-19, “reveal[ing] the societal cost of when millions of Americans cannot afford or do not have access to broadband.” It wrote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the ranking minority party leaders. The House passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act last month. HR-6800 includes an $8.8 billion Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund and $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059).
House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, Ore., and Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Wash., pressed Zoom CEO Eric Yuan Thursday about the company’s data privacy practices and potential coordination with the Chinese government. The company has drawn increasing government scrutiny amid increasing videoconferencing use during the pandemic (see 2005110041). The Republicans responded to reports that Zoom closed the account of a group of U.S.-based Chinese activists after they held an event commemorating the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. “Zoom’s recent actions and acquiescence to China raise serious concerns about your data practices, including how you protect information you collect on Americans and, importantly, who you grant access to such information,” Walden and McMorris Rodgers wrote. They want information on what “’local law’ you claim to have complied with to justify suppressing the free speech of U.S.-based Chinese activists and identify the date on which you reinstated the accounts of such activists.” The lawmakers also want the company to “explain how Zoom collects information on Americans and what specific categories of information is collected.” It didn’t immediately comment.
The FCC should “at the very least” suspend regulatory fee increases for broadcasters or allow them to pay their fees in installments, said NAB in comments Thursday in docket 20-105. “Given the uncertainty on the duration of the pandemic, there is no telling when broadcast operating revenues will return to previous levels.” Broadcasters face a regulatory fee increase despite the unchanged FCC budget, the filing said. The agency should broaden the range of entities it collects regulatory fees from, and provide justification for the fee increase, the filing said: “Given that the FCC is requiring broadcasters (and other licensees) to pay for the privilege of being regulated, it must do far more to ensure these payments are reasonable, equitable and, at the very least, adequately explained.”
COVID-19 response technology must be “non-discriminatory, effective, voluntary, secure, accountable, and used exclusively for public health purposes,” more than 80 advocacy groups said Thursday. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and New America’s Open Technology Institute signed a set of principles to “guide employers, policymakers, businesses, and public health authorities” while reopening society. Decision-makers should “be mindful of the risks of overreach and unintended consequences, especially to marginalized communities already suffering disproportionately from the virus and economic hardships,” the groups wrote.
Five Below e-commerce sales were four times higher in fiscal Q1 ended May 2 than the year-ago quarter, as total sales fell 45%, said CEO Joel Anderson on a quarterly call. It began reopening stores April 21 and now has about 90% of its 920 locations back in business in 36 states, he said Tuesday. The retailer sells kids-targeted headphones and tech accessories, most under $5. It began closing stores days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11. All stores closed for most of the second half of Q1. The stock closed 9.4% higher Wednesday at $113.67.
The Library of Congress canceled all public events until Sept. 1, the LOC announced Wednesday, citing COVID-19. Buildings and facilities remain closed.
Subscription-based businesses are more “resilient” to COVID-19's economic downturn than companies that had to endure supply chain disruptions, reported Zuora. It compared the subscriber acquisition metrics of 700 businesses before and after the pandemic struck in March and found 53.3% had limited impact, while 22.5% had subscriber growth accelerate. Relatively few had subscription growth slowing (12.8%) or contracting (11.4%), said Zuora. Over-the-top video streaming companies had the most growth, up sevenfold in March compared with the growth rate over the previous 12 months, it said. “As people shelter-at-home, streaming services for entertainment have seen a spike in subscription growth.” Consumer IoT is experiencing a slowdown, said the report. Growth there in March was a third of that in the previous year, it said. Consumers under lockdown mandates were “not rushing to buy” IoT devices and services, and companies in the sector “are seeing a decline in subscription sign-ups,” it said.
The FCC approved $20.2 million for 67 applicants to its COVID-19 telehealth program, it said Wednesday. In total, the agency has approved $104.98 million to 305 healthcare providers in 42 states and Washington, D.C., more than half the congressionally allotted budget of $200 million (see 2004010042). "We will continue processing applications as quickly as we can in order to promote worthy telehealth projects across the country,” Chairman Ajit Pai said.
The residential alarm-monitoring market is being pinched during the pandemic. Omdia scaled back 2020 growth projections Tuesday from 3.8% in 2020 to 0.8%. The market is historically less susceptible to economic downturns than other industries but is “feeling the pain” during the pandemic, said Blake Kozak. “The COVID-19 crisis is on a completely different scale than previous recessions,” said Kozak. Employees entering consumers’ homes must wear personal protective equipment, said the analyst. Cable operators and telcos are taking similar steps, and some of those companies and tech platforms also have home security products (see 2004100038).
COVID-19 forced cancellation of NAB Show New York, set for Oct. 21-22 at the Javits Convention Center, said the association Tuesday. It will be replaced with an all-digital event in the fall similar to NAB Show Express, it said. “This decision follows extensive surveying of our show community and consultation with state and local official." The trade group is still planning in-person events for the 2021 NAB Show and NAB Show New York, it said. The Javits show is the third in-person event NAB was forced to scrap this year due to the pandemic. It canceled the Las Vegas NAB Show March 11 (see 2003110036) and the NAB Radio Show in Nashville last week (see 2006030060). Complications for the Javits show emerged in April after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced he asked President Donald Trump to keep the facility deployed as an COVID-19 Army field hospital through the fall flu season (see 2004280001).