COVID-19 show cancellations have begun stretching into July. GSMA scrubbed the June 30-July 2 Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2020 show “in light of current government guidance” and the “global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak,” it said Friday. GSMA “will work with government and health authorities to find a suitable date and venue to hold regional conferences in China in the latter half of 2020,” it said. “We will confirm the feasibility of this in the coming months.” GSMA shut down February's MWC 2020 in Barcelona (see 2002120056). The National Association of Music Merchants canceled the July 9-11 Summer NAMM show in Nashville, it said Monday. “The harsh realities of this crisis make it impossible to undertake the many months of careful planning and preparation that are required for such a show,” said NAMM.
The FCC Wireline Bureau denied more time for comments on public safety aspects of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s Mozilla v. FCC net neutrality decision. California’s Santa Clara County, Los Angeles, New York City and others sought the extension for comments that were due Monday, after a 21-day extension granted by the FCC (see 2004170029). The April 16 request citing COVID-19 was too late; rules say extension motions must be filed at least seven days before filings’ due date, said Monday's order. “It is not plausible that Requestors first became aware of their purported need for additional time less than seven days before the deadline for initial comments on April 20.” Democratic FCC commissioners sought extra time. "Local governments and public safety officials have asked for more time to comment so that they rightfully can focus on responding to the public health emergency at hand," said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. "It’s shameful that the FCC did not heed their request.” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks tweeted, "We should've done better." It's "shameful" the FCC doesn't "think that the pandemic is enough of an emergency to provide more time for first responders to file comments about how the Commission can ensure that first responders can serve the public in emergencies like pandemics," said Benton Institute for Broadband and Society Senior Counselor Andrew Schwartzman. Sunday, the California Public Utilities Commission supported a 60-day extension to comments. The record wouldn’t be complete without Santa Clara County since the court specifically referenced its concerns, but COVID-19 may limit its ability to weigh in, the CPUC said in docket 17-108. “These parties should not have to choose between protecting public health and safety and participating in this proceeding.” The FCC declined to comment beyond the order.
Free Press asking the FCC to require broadcasters to air disclosures on inaccurate COVID-19 information (see 2004170062) was a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and a veiled attempt to reinstate the fairness doctrine, said FCC General Counsel Tom Johnson during a Federalist Society teleconference Monday. Free Press’ premise that COVID-19 White House briefings, pundit commentary and other reports are being aired without context is “demonstrably false” because of the intense scrutiny new outlets are applying to all pandemic information, he said. “People have a host of information sources,” Johnson said, saying those sources are “laser-focused” on any news item on the pandemic. The agency’s unusually fast response to the petition was because it was “styled as an emergency, in the middle of a crisis,” Johnson said. Those circumstances “made it a worthy exercise” for the agency to make a point about “policing broadcast journalism,” Johnson said. Free Press says it wasn’t seeking censorship, but Johnson said the disclosure requirements contemplated in the petition would have had a chilling effect on broadcast journalism. Requiring disclaimers for only one sort of media introduces “a regulatory thumb on the scale,” he said. Asked to compare Free Press’ request to similar comments made by President Donald Trump (see 1809040051) about pulling network “licenses,” Johnson said, “I don’t want to comment on anything that didn’t come through the door.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been consistent in his response to those sorts of comments and requests, Johnson said. Free Press co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez said in an interview that the petition was narrow in scope. She criticized the agency for using it as a tool to "score political points with some very extreme people." She said most broadcasters are doing a good job of airing accurate information about the virus.
AT&T told members of Congress’ Commerce and Judiciary committees it’s working to address expected customer upheaval once the latest Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization law takes effect, including informing some DirecTV subscribers they will lose access to stations after May 31. STELA set that deadline for satellite providers using the distant-signal license to serve all 210 designated market areas (see 1912190068). Congress “can avoid having customers deal with these issues during” the COVID-19 pandemic “by delaying the new law’s June 1 effective date until January 1, 2021,” AT&T emailed to lawmakers. Public Knowledge and some others interpret the message as a bid to delay STELA’s start.
COVID-19-induced delays in “accounting closing procedures” forced Sony to postpone release of its year-end financial results to May 13 from April 30, said the company Friday. Sony floated that possibility March 27 when it said the pandemic likely would negate the 5% upward revision in its February profit forecast (see 2003270028).
The National Tribal Telecommunications Association asked the FCC to add $20 monthly Lifeline support on tribal lands plus more funding "to address connection difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic," in a letter posted Friday in docket 11-42. NTTA wants "revisions to the Lifeline program rules to streamline entry into the program for those unfortunate Americans -- those living on Tribal lands and elsewhere -- experiencing a sudden loss of income that would meet the eligibility requirements." Let tribal authorities qualify newly eligible, it said.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., isn't “pleased, to say the least” about FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s Thursday decision to circulate a draft order approving Ligado's proposed terrestrial use of L-band spectrum (see 2004160019). Inhofe and others pressed President Donald Trump to intervene against Ligado’s application (see 2004160030). FCC approval “will amplify, rather than ease, current economic challenges” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Inhofe said in a statement. “When people try to push bad policy through in the middle of a crisis, without much coordination with seemingly anyone else, it makes me wonder about their motives. I hope that the other commissioners will listen to the near-unanimous objections from the rest of the federal government -- not to mention hundreds of industry leaders -- and reject the plan." The FCC didn't comment.
AARP wants the FCC and industry to ensure older Americans are connected during the pandemic, said a letter Friday in commission docket 20-89. It wants the commission to suspend broadband data caps and overage charges, encourage free or subsidized broadband to residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, increase the broadband minimum service standards for Lifeline wherever possible, and give Lifeline customers unlimited voice minutes and text messages. The group wants the FCC to extend the Keep Americans Connected Pledge.
Internet regulation has a good shot following the COVID-19 pandemic, said California Public Utilities Commission officials Friday on a Santa Clara University High Tech Law Institute webinar. The virus forcing people to stay at home shows the internet is a “basic utility” that “needs to be regulated,” said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves. Sen. Scott Wiener (D), author of California’s still-unenforced net neutrality law, rallied supporters to keep fighting despite litigation.
Commissioners are expected Thursday to approve 5-0 an order and Further NPRM allowing unlicensed sharing throughout 6 GHz, FCC and industry officials said in interviews last week. A few tweaks are anticipated, but no material changes, despite widespread concerns raised by many groups about harmful interference from indoor devices that don’t use automated frequency control (AFC). Chairman Ajit Pai said agency engineers fully vetted the technology and believe sharing doesn’t pose a risk to the huge number of incumbents across the 1,200 megahertz (see 2004060062).