Apple landed a two-year FCC experimental license Tuesday to test GPS functionality indoors in California at five locations in its Cupertino headquarters and one in Sunnyvale, Office of Engineering and Technology records show. Apple applied Dec. 6, saying the indoor tests are part of the “continued exploration of utilizing GPS technologies" in consumer devices "to provide innovative applications and continue to provide safe products.” The company will use the know-how it gains in the tests for “further design, development and enhancement of existing GPS applications to provide greater efficiency and more effective means of utilizing GPS derived information,” it said. Apple didn’t comment Wednesday.

A Trump administration official, the former U.S. trade representative during the George W. Bush administration and a prominent trade lawyer discussed the weaknesses of the World Trade Organization -- and globalization more generally -- during a session at the Georgetown Law International Trade Update March 7.

Despite recent “buzz” about virtues of recruiting more women for key tech jobs, females own 5 percent of the tech startups in Silicon Valley and earn 28 percent of the computer science degrees at U.S. universities, IRYStec Software co-founder-Chief Technology Officer Tara Akhavan told a Society for Information Display webinar Wednesday. Women employed in “computing roles” peaked at 36 percent in 1991, declining steadily since, said Akhavan, SID marketing vice chair. “We’re going backwards.” Employee diversity adds “a huge amount of value,” she said. “Any business that invests in diversity has seen in a few years the growth and return on investment.” Preregistrations for SID’s Display Week May 12-17 in San Jose are up 10 percent over this date for last year's event, she said. Montreal-based IRYStec specializes in perceptual display technology designed to make screens “smarter, healthier and more readable” in all light conditions, said Akhavan on a YouTube video shot at last year's Display Week in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order two years ago blocking citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from getting new U.S. visas hit Akhavan when she was denied travel from Canada to Los Angeles for Display Week 2017 because she held an Iranian passport (see 1705230045). Akhavan helps produce Display Week’s annual Women in Tech forum.

Despite recent “buzz” about virtues of recruiting more women for key tech jobs, females own 5 percent of the tech startups in Silicon Valley and earn 28 percent of the computer science degrees at U.S. universities, IRYStec Software co-founder-Chief Technology Officer Tara Akhavan told a Society for Information Display webinar Wednesday. Women employed in “computing roles” peaked at 36 percent in 1991, declining steadily since, said Akhavan, SID marketing vice chair. “We’re going backwards.” Employee diversity adds “a huge amount of value,” she said. “Any business that invests in diversity has seen in a few years the growth and return on investment.” Preregistrations for SID’s Display Week May 12-17 in San Jose are up 10 percent over this date for last year's event, she said. Montreal-based IRYStec specializes in perceptual display technology designed to make screens “smarter, healthier and more readable” in all light conditions, said Akhavan on a YouTube video shot at last year's Display Week in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order two years ago blocking citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from getting new U.S. visas hit Akhavan when she was denied travel from Canada to Los Angeles for Display Week 2017 because she held an Iranian passport (see 1705230045). Akhavan helps produce Display Week’s annual Women in Tech forum.

Despite recent “buzz” about virtues of recruiting more women for key tech jobs, females own 5 percent of the tech startups in Silicon Valley and earn 28 percent of the computer science degrees at U.S. universities, IRYStec Software co-founder-Chief Technology Officer Tara Akhavan told a Society for Information Display webinar Wednesday. Women employed in “computing roles” peaked at 36 percent in 1991, declining steadily since, said Akhavan, SID marketing vice chair. “We’re going backwards.” Employee diversity adds “a huge amount of value,” she said. “Any business that invests in diversity has seen in a few years the growth and return on investment.” Preregistrations for SID’s Display Week May 12-17 in San Jose are up 10 percent over this date for last year's event, she said. Montreal-based IRYStec specializes in perceptual display technology designed to make screens “smarter, healthier and more readable” in all light conditions, said Akhavan on a YouTube video shot at last year's Display Week in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order two years ago blocking citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from getting new U.S. visas hit Akhavan when she was denied travel from Canada to Los Angeles for Display Week 2017 because she held an Iranian passport (see 1705230045). Akhavan helps produce Display Week’s annual Women in Tech forum.

One of the more interesting exchanges during Wednesday’s House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Section 301 Chinese tariffs (see 1902270047) came late in the questioning when Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., confronted U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer with accounts of how she said the duties were harming small businesses in her Orlando district. “Whatever your intentions were” in imposing the tariffs, “evidence on the ground is really grim,” Murphy told Lighthizer.

SpaceX received FCC Office of Engineering and Technology OK for experimental license to operate an R&D vertical takeoff/vertical landing vehicle in Texas. SpaceX said in its application it will maintain a bidirectional RF link on the vehicle and run two batches of flight tests: flights below 500 meters in altitude lasting about 100 seconds, and flights as high as 5 kilometers and lasting as long as six minutes. The company said it also was seeking an experimental permit from the FAA for the test flights.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer wouldn’t commit Wednesday to suspending the Trump administration’s Section 301 tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports even if the U.S. reaches a trade deal with China.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer wouldn’t commit Wednesday to suspending the Trump administration’s Section 301 tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports even if the U.S. reaches a trade deal with China.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said Wednesday he favors reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, one of several communications policy issues the committee is “intent on moving” on this year. Wicker said during an Incompas event he is bullish about advancing privacy legislation but less certain about prospects for bills on net neutrality and improving conditions for 5G. Other federal officials meanwhile noted there's no 5G "killer app" yet.