FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks wants a longer deadline extension for comments on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s Mozilla v. FCC net neutrality decision. Given the importance of ensuring broadband connectivity for the most vulnerable to and most active in the COVID-19 response, the agency needs feedback on how its net neutrality decision affects Lifeline participants and public safety, he said Wednesday. Noting the continually shifting crisis, California's Santa Clara County emailed us it "didn't know yet" whether it might seek a further deadline extension. The county was among the parties seeking a 30-day extension, and the FCC said Wednesday it will grant a 21-day one (see 2003250041).
As social distancing and self-isolating increase across the U.S., demand for broadband could spike among households, said Parks Associates Tuesday. “Many people working at home and entertaining-in-place" puts "more stress on the home’s broadband capacity, so service providers need to step up their efforts to help customers better understand their throughput needs,” said Steve Nason. Customers will be more willing to upgrade speeds to match their increased consumption habits if providers give them information on what they need, said the analyst. Consumers have little understanding of how much speed they need and use at home, said Nason, noting demand for 1 Gbps and higher services is most prevalent among younger consumers who are heavy users of connected platforms and services. Meanwhile, 60% of U.S. households would cancel a pay-TV subscription before canceling broadband service, a portion that has likely increased amid COVID-19, said the research firm. Consumers with over-the-top video subscriptions are shifting away from internet bundles, said Nason, and are more likely to have stand-alone internet service than nonsubscribers.
All stakeholders can pitch in to help low-income Americans get internet access during COVID-19, a Broadband Breakfast webcast was told Monday. "You still have people in Congress who don't believe broadband is essential here," said Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld. He wants a federal stimulus bill to include $50 monthly broadband subsidies to every residence, payable directly to ISPs, while residents are advised to shelter in place. He said it would help consumers who received pink slips and rural broadband providers struggling to stay afloat. National Digital Inclusion Alliance Executive Director Angela Siefer said such a plan would help the 18 million without broadband access. She said it would help people stay home to keep from spreading the virus. Delano Squires, program manager for Connect.DC, warned against relying too much on the federal government, which "can put states in a very vulnerable position." Public schools, libraries, community colleges and other anchor institutions should keep Wi-Fi open to the public even though most of those facilities are closed, said Jeff Sural, director of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology's Broadband Infrastructure Office. The American Library Association is encouraging members to do so. In a public notice Monday in docket 13-184, the Wireline Bureau clarified schools and libraries that accept E-rate support can open Wi-Fi networks for public use on their campuses while they're closed during the outbreak.
To rise to U.S. challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, respond with "a broadband plan robust enough to withstand the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new, and already frighteningly novel, decade," Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Senior Fellow Jonathan Sallet wrote Thursday on the anniversary of the first 10-year National Broadband Plan. He wants investments in scalable networks with a baseline performance of symmetrical 100/100 Mbps (see 1910300005). He wants industry and policymakers to consider families, "adults working and videoconferencing, a K-12 student with online homework, a college student returned home to finish the second semester with virtual classes. Then multiply that by many kinds of households."
Communications challenges posed by the novel coronavirus prompted NAB CEO Gordon Smith to seek help from social media platforms to work with broadcasters to combat what he called fake news. He said the platforms can also work with newspapers on such an initiative. Smith would have asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on stage during the NAB Show questions including about ownership restrictions that don’t apply to social media platforms, the executive said. The show was canceled because of COVID-19. "We do need scale to compete with these new entrants in communications," Smith said Wednesday in a C-SPAN interview for The Communicators, answering our questions. The program will be linked here. He thinks "it's in the interest of social media to have relationships that have economic value" and include broadcasters and newspapers "to get localism. They need to [increase] the integrity of their platforms." He would like "a more earnest effort" than tech companies have made. He said "a lot of falsehoods" and "slanders occur" and "spread like a virus" online. Many News Media Alliance member newspapers "have lifted subscriber paywalls and have developed special, free coronavirus-related newsletters," emailed Senior Vice President-Public Policy Paul Boyle. "Digital readership is up about 30 to 50% from this time last year." It's "not necessarily translating into dollars as advertisers are beginning to pull back," he noted. The Internet Association, Facebook, Google and Twitter didn't comment on Smith's remarks. Editor's note: Subscribers can read about Smith's remarks about broadcasters and pay TV in front of our pay wall here. Our report on NAB Show's cancellation is also in front of our pay wall, where we have put some of our other coverage of the epidemic. The article is here.
Increased dependence on video-sharing technology is going to force "some hard conversations" about when a service's termination of accounts is legally required due to repeat copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Santa Clara University Director-High Tech Law Institute professor Eric Goldman blogged Monday. He said the U.S. District Court in San Francisco's dismissal Friday (docket 19-cv-05422) of a complaint against YouTube by a user over his account's termination didn't stand a chance because the law is clear that internet services have "unilateral authority ... to decide who they want to provide services to."
Industry groups contend OMB is prioritizing innovation and the groups suggested voluntary standards for artificial intelligence regulation. The Center for Democracy & Technology criticized the AI draft guidance for lack of concrete suggestions. OMB guidance "aims to support a U.S. approach to free-market capitalism, federalism, and good regulatory practices,” said the request for comment. The draft memorandum provides guidance to agencies for developing regulatory and nonregulatory approaches for sectors and “consider ways to reduce barriers to the development and adoption of AI technologies.” Comments were due Friday and are posted here. The guidance provides a “strong foundation for federal agencies to craft regulations while maintaining the regulatory flexibility that companies need to innovate,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association said. CCIA recommended any new regulations be “technology-neutral, and apply to outcomes rather than prescribing specific technical practices.” The Information Technology Industry Council applauded the agency’s “emphasis on using a risk-based approach to AI regulation” and guidance that federal agencies consider AI applications individually rather than applying horizontal regulation. ITI supports the draft memo’s “emphasis on using voluntary standards as an alternative to new regulation.” BSA|The Software Alliance agreed with the guidance that “the goal of AI governance should be to promote innovation and enhance public trust.” Nonregulatory policy approaches, like sector-specific frameworks and voluntary consensus standards, “can play a critically important role” in promoting AI applications, BSA said. CDT approves of the agency’s common sense approach but said it “offers little guidance beyond our understanding of the basic tenets of sound policymaking and good administrative processes.” CDT sought concrete steps agencies should take in regulating and said “agencies should consider and clarify existing legal and policy approaches first.” ACT|The App Association supports voluntary consensus standards for AI application. It recommended the U.S. ensure such standards promote a balanced approach to standard-essential patent licensing, saying a number of owners of fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms SEPs are abusing their unique positions (see 2002140026).
The FCC Wireline Bureau set a $4.23 billion E-rate cap for funding year 2020, a 1.8% inflation-adjusted increase from the prior year, and a $604 million funding cap for its Rural Health Care program, said a public notice Thursday in docket 02-60.
The House passed the Senate-cleared Secure 5G and Beyond Act Wednesday by unanimous consent, as expected (see 2003040056). S-893 would require the president to develop a strategy for ensuring the security of 5G networks and infrastructure (see 1903270065). S-893 heads to President Donald Trump, who’s expected to sign it. House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., hailed House passage. “It is long past time that the Trump Administration prepare our networks for the 5G future” and “this bill will force the Administration to do exactly that and ensure federal agencies work together on a comprehensive plan,” Pallone and Doyle said. It’s the “latest in a series passed by the House that will help keep the American people safe and secure America’s wireless future. We urge the President to sign it quickly.” The Senate passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act last week. HR-4998 would allocate at least $1 billion to help U.S. communications providers remove from their networks Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security (see 2002270070).
Best Buy put “strict” employee travel policies in place and “canceled meetings with large gatherings” to do what it can to help prevent coronavirus spread, said a customer notice Tuesday. It offered to reschedule in-home consultations, deliveries, installations or repairs. “For in-home consultations, we offer options for phone or video conversations with our experts if you so choose,” it said. Stores will have “ramped up cleaning services,” adding hand sanitizer dispensers at entrances and all cash registers, the company said. “Sanitizing wipes are near workstations and counters so that employees can keep them continuously cleaned.”