Cowen forecast 24% Q4 revenue growth to $828 million for Vimeo parent IAC, after the video platform’s announcement Monday it raised $300 million in equity funding. In a Tuesday investor note, analyst John Blackledge attributed expected stronger financial results to investments and the impact of COVID-19 to multiple business segments. IAC said last month it plans to spin off Vimeo as an independent company this year, which Blackledge pegged for Q2. He forecast strong Q4 revenue growth for Vimeo at 53% driven by strong growth in subscribers and average revenue per user. IAC reports Q4 Feb. 3.

Despite Facebook’s ongoing promises to battle hate speech and dissemination of false information, “much needs to be done,” Wedbush's Michael Pachter wrote investors Monday. “Regulatory risk remains significant,” he said, noting that Facebook reported it acted on 22 million pieces of hate speech in Q3 and estimated 10-11 out of every 10,000 content views included hate speech. Wedbush estimates Q4 revenue of $25.4 billion, for 21% growth. The social media platform didn’t provide Q4 guidance due to COVID-19 uncertainties, but year-on-year ad revenue growth is expected to rise from Q3's 22%. Management expects strong Oculus Quest 2 sales in Q4, said the analyst. "Facebook has consistently executed on its core business model and we expect revenue to grow in correlation to the global macroeconomic outlook and associated advertising demand." It reports Q4 Wednesday.

Benefits of 5G should come without jeopardizing satellite in 12 GHz, Microsoft representatives told aides to FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, per an RM-11768 post Monday. It said it plans to use SpaceX's Starlink constellation to offer satellite connectivity between its field-deployed modular data center and cloud resources globally, with connectivity on a primary or secondary basis using the band. It said the ruggedized data center is intended for areas where temperature, humidity and surfaces are challenging. Citing possible harmful interference to Starlink user terminals from mobile service, Microsoft urged rejecting the NPRM on Wednesday's agenda (see 2101060061). It said spectrum sharing between mobile services and non-geostationary orbit satellites isn't achievable in the band, and if the FCC goes forward, it should issue a notice of inquiry.

Energous completed a stock offering, raising about $39 million, said the wireless charging company Tuesday. About 18.9 million shares were sold at an average $2.12 apiece. The company will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, it said.

A layer of graphene could make next-generation lithium-ion batteries safer to use, last longer and operate in a wider temperature range, says Nanotech Energy, one of several companies working on graphene batteries as a safer alternative to current lithium-ion power cells. Los Angeles-based Nanotech is targeting its graphene batteries to a swath of devices, from wearables to electric vehicles, CEO Jack Kavanaugh told us Wednesday. Battery safety has been a top issue for portable device makers since Samsung’s high-profile debacle with lithium-ion batteries in the doomed Galaxy Note 7 (see 1701230048), which Samsung recalled twice and finally discontinued due to overheating and fire risk. With standard lithium-ion batteries, pressure from parts can cause damage to the wires around the batteries, leading to short-circuiting. When lithium-ion batteries get shorted, the energy from the battery gets released suddenly, causing the temperature to rise hundreds of degrees within milliseconds -- resulting in the battery catching fire, says the Nanotech website. The FAA classifies lithium-ion batteries as “dangerous goods” and requires battery chargers and power banks to be transported in carry-on luggage vs. aircraft cargo holds to reduce risk of fire. Kavanaugh said graphene can withstand the volume changes of battery electrodes during charge and discharge, reducing the chances of an internal short circuit. He described a “nail test,” where testers hammer a nail into a conventional car battery causing it to short, explode and catch fire. “With ours, neither happens,” he said. “Graphene is one of the strongest known materials, is completely flexible, and an excellent conductor of electricity -- thus preventing the battery from overheating,” said Nanotech co-founder Richard Kaner, a UCLA professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering. Nanotech’s first product was a super capacitor using graphene, which morphed into “super batteries,” a “much bigger market,” Kavanaugh said. He wouldn’t disclose potential customers or use cases for its first batteries, which could reach the market by 2022. The company is planning for a factory dedicated to battery and electrode production. Its first battery, in prototype, could be made into “any shape, either cylindrical or flat,” he said, and is being tested for automotive, utilities, CE devices and consumer products, including lawnmowers and electric bikes.

IAC’s announcement Tuesday it plans to spin off video software company Vimeo as an independent company next year will allow Vimeo to capitalize on “investor appetite” for software-as-a-service businesses, Cowen analyst John Blackledge wrote investors Tuesday. IAC plans a shareholder meeting in Q1 to review and approve the Vimeo proposal, with the transaction expected to happen in Q2, IAC said. IAC shareholders would receive a proportionate share of the new company. Upon completion, Vimeo will become an independent, separately traded public company, the 11th to emerge from IAC and its predecessors. The separation is expected to allow Vimeo to raise capital more effectively to invest in product, technology, enterprise sales and international expansion -- and to pursue strategic acquisitions, IAC said.

Increase power levels for 6 GHz devices while requiring standard-power access points (AP) operating with effective isotropic radiated power higher than 36 dBm to “have the capability to cease transmission immediately upon notification” of interference, Nokia asked FCC Office of Engineering Technology staff, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. In practice, the higher-power links could operate successfully to maximize the benefits of unlicensed operations in the band while addressing concerns regarding causing harmful interference to fixed service (FS) incumbents,” the filing said. “Various use cases could leverage the higher power APs.”

Dish Network plans to offer $2 billion in convertible notes, with the proceeds to be used in part for its planned nationwide 5G network, it said Tuesday.

Best Buy reaffirmed support for the “We Are Still In” statement, joining 1,300 organizations backing climate action, it said Thursday. The statement addresses measures that the incoming Biden administration can take, including and beyond reentering the Paris Agreement, said the retailer, emphasizing the need for “just and equitable solutions for climate while providing economic recovery.” Signatories include cities, universities, businesses, tribal nations and cultural institutions across all 50 states. “This is a critical time for climate action and we feel that cross-sector partnership is key to solving the climate crisis,” said Tim Dunn, Best Buy’s head of environmental sustainability. It first signed onto a joint climate statement last year. Other tech companies signing the pledge include Amazon, Apple, Dell, Facebook, Google and HP.

Amazon is adding 26 utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, totaling 3.4 gigawatts, to bring its total investment in renewable energy this year to 35 projects and more than 4 GW capacity. The new projects will make Amazon the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, said the company Thursday. Projects will supply renewable energy for corporate offices, fulfillment centers and Amazon Web Services data centers and help the company reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Part of the commitment is to power Amazon’s infrastructure with 100% renewable energy, originally targeted for 2030; the company is on track to reach that goal by 2025. The new projects are in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. Amazon has enabled projects in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.