The Internet Engineering Task Force, which has been meeting online during the pandemic, plans a hybrid meeting March 19-25 in Vienna. It said all attendees must show proof of vaccination with a European Medicines Agency-approved COVID-19 vaccine or medical proof of past infection.

Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said last week that all in-person oral arguments are suspended for January and will be conducted via Zoom Government. It said a public audio feed will remain available on the court's YouTube channel. U.S. District Court in Washington said jury trials are suspended through Jan. 24, and public counters of the clerk's office are closed until then.

The Alabama Broadcasters Association canceled its in-person Jan. 21-22 annual conference due to concerns about COVID-19, the group emailed members. “With the Covid Omicron variant spreading like wildfire across our state and already having an impact on many of your stations, we believe it is in everyone's best interest that we not gather in large numbers just yet,” wrote ABA President Sharon Tinsley. "We will begin contacting our speakers immediately to arrange to provide the content we had planned in a virtual setting over the next six weeks." Tinsley said as recently as late December that the event would proceed in person (see 2112220045). The conference had been planned to do so until just a day before the announcement, she said, "Our positive test rate in Alabama is over 36% today with more than 37,000 new cases in the last week," Tinsley said Monday. "We are supposed to help solve problems for our member stations -- not contribute to their problems. In spite of our best efforts, a large gathering would likely further the spread of the virus."

The FCC extended to March 31 the deadline for Lifeline reverification, recertification, de-enrollment and income documentation requirements for subscribers in rural areas on tribal lands. It was to expire Friday. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt by many Americans, and recently a new variant of the coronavirus has emerged that has contributed to uncertainty about the ongoing pandemic,” said a Thursday Wireline Bureau order in docket 11-42: “The importance of access to affordable communications services for low-income consumers has been underscored by the pandemic and its long lasting impact.”

The Copyright Office said Wednesday it will discontinue copyright registration timing adjustments mandated under the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act at the end of 2021. “Some of these adjustments have been extended several times,” and the remaining adjustments were scheduled to expire Friday, Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter said in a declaration. “I have determined, and therefore declare, that there is no evidence of a need for continued adjustments as a result of disruptions to the copyright system” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite an exodus from the show of major exhibitors and media outlets, including keynoter and sponsor T-Mobile (see 2112220003), the in-person CES 2022 will “go forward” Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas because “important innovation for world health and safety, mobility and solving problems will be exhibited” there, said CTA Wednesday. “Thousands of smaller and medium sized companies rely on CES for their business,” it said. “We have increased our official count to over 2200 exhibitors.” The 42 exhibitor cancellations CTA recently got are “less than 7% of our exhibit floor,” and 60 new companies joined since Friday, it said. “Digital access” to CES 2022 is available “for people that don’t wish to, or can’t travel to Las Vegas,” said CTA. “Registrations for both our digital access and our Las Vegas event are continuing to show strong momentum, with thousands more registrations in the last few days.” CES 2022 will have “comprehensive health measures” in place, including mandated COVID-19 vaccines, a Las Vegas indoor-masking requirement and onsite COVID-19 testing, said CTA. But the show is not requiring booster shots, and adherence to the Abbott Labs BinaxNOW rapid antigen self-test kits it’s distributing free to all badge holders will rely on the individual honor system (see 2112170033). With the health and safety protocols in place, “coupled with lower attendance and social distancing measures, we are confident that attendees and exhibitors can have a socially distanced but worthwhile and productive event in Las Vegas, as well as a rewarding experience on our digital access,” said the association.

The RSA Conference, scheduled for Feb. 7-10 in San Francisco, is delayed to June 6-9 due to the surge in omicron cases, blogged RSA Conference Vice President Linda Martin Wednesday. “We all want to be able to plan with the level of certainty that we had before March of 2020, but life has changed, and we all have learned to transform.” The “working assumption is that we will be hosting a physical event” at Moscone Center in June. Officials will contact people who registered and made hotel accommodations, she said.

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning Monday of the “potential for a rapid increase” in U.S. COVID-19 infections from the new omicron variant, CNET withdrew from CES 2022 as an in-person participant. A news bulletin is here. Rising volume of COVID-19 and omicron cases sparked CNET’s parent company, Red Ventures, to “pause travel for all U.S.-based employees through mid-January,” emailed a spokesperson. CNET “will now shift our CES focus to remote coverage,” said the spokesperson, continuing to report "from a remote setting.” CTA didn’t comment Tuesday. Red Ventures completed its $500 million CNET buy from ViacomCBS in October 2020 (see 2010300029).

The FCC Wireline Bureau approved an additional $42.7 million for round two of the COVID-19 telehealth program, bringing the total to $208 million so far, said a public notice Tuesday in docket 20-89 (see 2111090074). The additional funding will support 68 healthcare providers to, among other things, treat COVID-19 patients, high-risk patients, and rural and low-income patients, and to provide behavioral health services.

T-Mobile representatives sought changes to rules for the FCC affordable connectivity program, in conversations with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and others at the commission. T-Mobile “expressed support” for FCC “efforts to implement ACP, which promises to bring the transformative benefits of broadband service to millions of households on a sustained basis,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-450. “To maximize consumer choice and innovation, the Commission should allow different brands or lines of businesses within the same legal entity -- not just different legal entities within the same corporate family -- to file separate election notices,” T-Mobile said. “Allow states to opt out of the National Lifeline Accountability Database for the purposes of ACP.” T-Mobile urged the FCC to allow enrollees in the emergency broadband benefit program to continue receiving benefits of up to $50 a month “until EBB funds are expended or March 1” and to “address the issue of what notification is required when an EBB provider decides not to participate in ACP.”