Commit "effective resources and energy" to crafting FCC Affordable Connectivity Program toolkit materials, said Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, MediaJustice, New America's Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge in a letter Thursday in docket 21-450 (see 2111090063). Marketing materials and campaigns should be "at a minimum accurate, as well as culturally relevant and inclusive," the groups said, citing some ACP materials translated to Korean and Spanish that "heavily feature the word 'broadband'" and may benefit from more commonly used terms. "Technically accurate translations may not be recognizable or accessible to people who speak that language" and the FCC should "commit to reviewing and potentially editing outreach materials to improve baseline awareness about the program," the groups said.

Spotify shares closed up 13% Monday at $196.26 after CEO Daniel Ek addressed in a blog post the controversy surrounding podcast host Joe Rogan’s misinformation about COVID-19, which led musician Neil Young to pull his content (see 2201280069). The stock hit a 52-week low last week amid the hubbub. Ek didn’t mention Rogan or Young Sunday, taking a centrist approach: “We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users.” The executive said Spotify has had rules “for many years” about what's acceptable and not on its platform but that it hasn’t been transparent about the policies. It published those rules Sunday. Acknowledging recent “feedback,” Ek said “it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.” Experts urged Spotify to act against misinformation Rogan promoted. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Young for “standing up against misinformation and inaccuracies around #COVID19 vaccination.”

Attendees at the National Space Club and Foundation's Goddard Memorial Dinner March 18 in Washington will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination before entering, NSC said Wednesday. It said masks will be required when not eating or drinking.

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley (D) told the FCC that SurgePhone may be violating affordable connectivity program rules on consumer protection by giving consumers a tablet for a "$10 connection fee" without providing a receipt or required disclosures. Tents were set up throughout the state, but the company didn't disclose the company's name until Presley asked the representatives after waiting in line, he said in a letter Tuesday. Presley said he's "extremely worried about consumers being snookered by Surge" and asked the FCC to "have Surge cease and desist operations" until an investigation is complete. It's "the wild, Wild West" and an "invitation for waste, fraud, and abuse," Presley told us, saying tents were still being spotted throughout the state on Tuesday. The FCC is "looking into the claims raised in the letter," emailed a spokesperson: "We take any allegations of wrongdoing about this program seriously and will not hesitate to take appropriate action as necessary.” Surge didn't comment.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act "directs the FCC to make sure that all households with women, infants, children, and breastfeeding mothers participating" in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program and "all households with students participating [in] the free and reduced school lunch program are eligible for support from the Affordable Connectivity Program," emailed a spokesperson Monday. Last week, Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington raised concerns about ACP enrollees not being required to include a Social Security number in their application to verify their identity (see 2201210082): "To be clear, these kinds of programs do not require social security numbers," the spokesperson said: The FCC "has made sure that every family participating in [ACP] provides identification like taxpayer identification numbers and driver's licenses. But this is about more than the law, it’s the right thing to do to make sure millions of people across the country are not left in digital darkness."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which had suspended in-person oral arguments for January (see 2201030007), said Thursday they will remain suspended until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health guidance. It said the oral argument suspension "will be reexamined and modified as necessary as developing circumstances require."

COVID-19 booster shots “were not available for most Americans in the US until November and globally their availability was spotty and only in certain countries,” emailed CTA President Gary Shapiro Friday on his association’s rationale for not requiring boosters at CES 2022 in Las Vegas earlier this month. “In December, we encouraged boosters and flu shots.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility for boosters to all U.S. adults Nov. 19. “CTA made major and precedent setting decisions” on health and safety measures, said Shapiro. “In the summer of 2021 we announced we would require vaccines. I am unaware of any large trade show that had taken that step. We required masking. We widened aisles and took other social distancing and hygienic measures. In December, we announced we would provide free tests."

The FCC approved rules for the $14.2 billion affordable connectivity program and Further NPRM on outreach funding, as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, said a Friday news release (see 2201120038). "For too many families across the country paying for their internet bill can mean making [budget] sacrifices," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: The FCC now "has new tools to support these families and reach those most at risk of digital disconnection for years to come.” The order wasn't released.

Citing the "ongoing strain that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place on health care providers," connected care pilot participants selected in January and June 2021 may file their initial funding requests by April 27, said an FCC Wireline Bureau order Thursday in docket 18-213.

Garmin Connect customers logged double-digit increases in almost every category in the app last year, reported the company Monday, citing higher usage amid the emergence of new COVID-19 variants. Indoor activities logged by Garmin users on the Connect app doubled from 2020, and fitness sessions indoors rose more than 20%, led by Pilates and yoga, it said: Wellness activities swelled, with an uptick in breath work.