CEDIA Expo owner Emerald doubled down on the company’s commitment to hold the trade event in Indianapolis Sept. 1-3 even as exhibitors continue to abandon the event due to health concerns over the COVID-19 delta variant. Jason McGraw, Emerald Group vice president-CEDIA Expo and KBIS, told the company's CEPro trade publication Wednesday, “The show is 100% going on. Contrary to rumors out there, CEDIA Expo 2021 is still happening.” The number of exhibitors has been whittled down to 150; the trade show company was originally hoping for 300. Last week, Emerald advertised that 250 brands were exhibiting.

NAB Show 2021 will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination of “all attendees and participants” for the Oct. 9-13 event at the Las Vegas Convention Center, said the association Wednesday. “We think this is a positive step in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and will provide further details on implementation as well as other safety measures under consideration,” it said. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) announced this week that large gatherings in the state that screen attendees for proof of vaccinations can forego requiring masks. CTA announced a vaccine requirement a day earlier for CES 2022 in early January, also at the LVCC (see 2108170038). Broadcast industry officials told us the NAB Show's new vaccine requirement doesn’t affect their plans to attend. “I was always planning to go,” said broadcast engineer Tim Sawyer: “I already blindly put my faith in the vaccine.” Sawyer said he wondered about the possibility of attendees using spoofed vaccine cards to get in, but said he’s “not too concerned.” Riverfront Broadcasting owner Doyle Becker told us the new requirement doesn’t change anything for him either: “Still going.” Unanswered questions about the NAB and CTA policies involve where and when attendees will be instructed to show proof of vaccination and whether one dose or two of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine will be required.

Oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in September and October will remain remote, using Zoom for Government, rather than be conducted in person, Clerk Mark Langer said in a notice Friday, citing COVID-19 pandemic health guidance. He said the court will continue to provide an audio feed from oral arguments via the court's YouTube channel.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit altered its protocols for in-person arguments starting with the September court sitting and continuing indefinitely, requiring masks in the National Courts Building, the court said Thursday. Those not fully vaccinated must also observe social distancing, it added. Only counsel "and no more than one attendee whose presence is necessary to assist or supervise arguing counsel are permitted access" to the courtroom, it said. Non-vaccinated people can't enter the courthouse if they tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, are awaiting COVID test results, have traveled internationally in the past 14 days, are showing any COVID symptoms or had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID in the previous 14 days, it said. The Federal Circuit also updated its health and safety certification for in-person arguments, required on the day of the proceedings, and its certification of compliance with the revised protocols for in-person arguments, required ahead of the arguments by all arguing counsel.

The Cable Center's Cable Hall of Fame event is being moved from Oct. 20 to Nov. 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it said Tuesday. The event will air on C-SPAN 3 and C-SPAN.org, it said.

Advanced Television Systems Committee meetings in Washington Aug. 25-26 will follow all health protocols (see [Ref:2107300059) and hopefully, the coronavirus situation in the city won't worsen in the coming weeks, President Madeleine Noland told us.

The ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference “is shaping up to be a robust and exciting event” Aug. 26 at the Reagan Building in Washington, but “we also realize that the news about the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is at the top of most of our minds,” the association emailed members and conference registrants Friday. ATSC's members-only annual meeting precedes the conference on Aug. 25. The District of Columbia requires masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, except when eating, in an order that was to take effect Saturday. “The health and safety of our attendees is a top priority for ATSC and the conference planners,” the group said. “We will continue to monitor the situation while accepting reservations for both in-person and live-streaming attendees.”

Q2 was a “transition period” for Amazon customers home less amid fewer COVID-19 restrictions, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky told investors (See Q2 materials here.). Prime members continued to spend more at Amazon, but their “spend moderated” vs. the peak of the pandemic, he said. Since May, Amazon’s year-on-year growth rate, excluding Prime Day, slowed to the mid-teens, from 35%-40% at the height of the pandemic, Olsavsky said: The Q3 guidance of 10%-16% “reflects an expected continuation of this trend.” The e-commerce company’s sales were “softer than expected” at $113 billion, Cowen analyst John Blackledge wrote investors Friday. “Higher consumer mobility” affected e-commerce demand, he said. New CEO Andy Jassy wasn't on Thursday's call. Nor was founder Jeff Bezos, who stepped down as CEO July 5 and became executive chairman. It's Bezos' regular practice to skip quarterly calls. Amazon shares closed down 7.6% to $3,327.59 on Friday.

Cybersecurity fears abound in the U.S. and U.K. on the use of COVID-19 digital vaccination cards, a Harris poll found. Analytics firm Anomali hired Harris to canvass a combined 3,000 adults in the two countries June 30-July 7, finding 80% of Americans and 76% of Brits expressed cybersecurity concerns about storing vaccine certifications on their smartphones. Identity theft topped the list of worries for both groups at 51%. The survey found 64% fear that digital vaccination cards will spawn cyberattacks that cause “moderate to major” disruption to business, government and consumers.

The FCC released a count Wednesday of households enrolled in the emergency broadband benefit program: 4 million-plus.