Comments are due June 17, replies July 1, on Google Fiber's amended request for temporary waiver of some FCC audio accessibility rules for set-top boxes (see 1905140066). That's according to a Media Bureau public notice Thursday in docket 12-108.

Google Fiber is amending its request for temporary waiver of audio accessibility rules for set-top boxes. In an FCC docket 12-108 petition Monday, it said it needs a shorter duration for two of the four audio accessibility waivers it's seeking. It said it's now no longer moving its set-tops to the Android operating system -- for reasons unrelated to accessibility -- and instead looked at updating its Fiber TV app to make additional features audibly accessible. It said at least two of those functions can be provided by year's end at the latest, while it's still investigating how to make the other two functions audibly accessible. It's seeking waiver of one year from the date of the original petition, filed in December (see 1812200045), for activating video description and adjusting the presentation and display of closed captioning. That's along with waiver of two years from the original petition for display of current configuration options and for activating set-top configuration selections.

The latest version of the Altice One operating system includes a sports programming hub and optional voice command, the MVPD said Wednesday. It said the sports hub features an overview of games scheduled for the next 48 hours and the ability to select favorite teams for a customized view.

Cable operators won't easily get out of the bundle business, and it won't be until they drop the penalty for canceling video service -- where the price for remaining services in subscribers' bundles go up -- that it's clear they're serious about it, CCG President Doug Dawson blogged Friday. He said the service bundle is likely eventually doomed because profit margins for video are nothing or even negative, due to both programming costs and operational expenses such as service calls to deal with customer complaints about such issues as picture quality.

CBS increased Joe Ianniello's base salary to $3 million when it extended him as president-acting CEO for six months through Dec. 31, said an 8-K Friday evening at the SEC. Ianniello this year also will get a bonus "not less than" his newly raised $15 million "target," plus a $5 million "lump sum" cash payout for agreeing to the extension, it said. He got a $2.5 million salary and $12.5 million bonus in 2018 when he spent most of the year as chief operating officer, said an April 12 proxy for the CBS annual shareholders meeting May 29 in New York. He was elevated Sept. 9 to his current posts after Les Moonves resigned as chairman-president-CEO amid sexual misconduct allegations (see 1809100026). Moonves got a $3.5 million salary and $20 million bonus in 2017, his last full year as top CBS executive, said an April 2018 proxy. The company "has agreed to renegotiate" Ianniello’s contract “in good faith” if it decides to make him permanent CEO on or before Dec. 31, said the 8-K. Though CBS said last week its board suspended the CEO search "as a testament" to Ianniello's "accomplishments" during his seven months in his new role, the 8-K suggested he's no sure lock for the job. If the board picks “another individual” for CEO or Ianniello loses his current positions stemming from a “corporate event” as defined in his July 2017 COO contract, he would become a CBS “consultant” for 90 days, if the board so requests, at his regular salary and bonus, it said. CBS would try to recoup a portion of any lump-sum money from Ianniello if he quits before the 90-day consultancy is up to reflect his "cessation of employment prior to the end of the employment term," it said. CBS reports Q1 results Thursday.

Promoting STEM learning and career development is the goal of a CTA collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington to address the worsening U.S. tech-talent shortage, said the association Friday. CTA wants to help local students “better understand the career opportunities the tech field offers and learn the skills they'll need in the workforce of today and tomorrow,” it said. CTA hopes through the partnership to “demystify STEM and create a rich pipeline for future tech jobs,” said Tiffany Moore, senior vice president-political and industry affairs. U.S. demand for skilled tech workers is rising, but tech company optimism for finding the right talent is waning, a CTA survey last year found (see 1810150005).

The Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance (OTA) gave its highest overall audit security and privacy scores to consumer-facing U.S. government websites and its lowest to healthcare sites, it said Tuesday in its ranking of seven industries. OTA said the healthcare industry ranked second in terms of privacy, but its last-place ranking was “largely due to sparse adoption of email authentication and always-encrypted sessions.” Overall, the audit found increased encryption, with 93 percent of sites encrypting all web sessions, compared with 52 percent in 2017, and more email authentication. “Almost every sector improved its security and privacy practices, and the record scores reflect that,” said Jeff Wilbur, OTA technical director. “The U.S. Government in particular made stunning improvements, from near last in 2017 to top of the class in 2018. Unfortunately, some sectors still have a long way to go to demonstrate acceptable security and privacy practices.”

An FCC enforcement advisory warns that TV set-top boxes, including those that stream internet content, must comply with equipment authorization requirements. Such devices must not be marketed in the U.S. without “FCC-required labeling and user manual disclosures,” said the public notice in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. Penalties could total more than $147,000 per violation, said the PN. The advisory notes that under Section 302 of the Communications Act and Part 2 and Part 15 rules, set-tops must be properly authorized by the FCC before being imported, advertised, sold or operated. It said devices must display an FCC ID of letters, numbers and symbols “unique to the device” and user manuals must warn consumers of the device’s potential for causing interference. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly applauded the advisory, tweeting, “Fake boxes & certifications are illegal!”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will integrate HD Radio’s emergency alerts feature into its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) test and demonstration center in Maryland, said parent company Xperi Monday. For the first time, FEMA will be able to test the emergency alert system using commercial HD Radio receivers, said Ashruf El-Dinary, Xperi vice president-radio technology solutions. The HD Radio emergency alerts feature provides visual and auditory notifications to consumers, and the digital radio features allow broadcasters to expand public service information in communities, Xperi said. HD Radio receivers with the emergency alerts feature are available in select vehicles, and aftermarket and tabletop radios, in the U.S. and Canada. The emergency alert feature will be demonstrated at the NAB Show in the FEMA/IPAWS booth, Central Hall stand C3330.

Three product safety agencies of North America -- the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and the Consumer Protection Federal Agency of Mexico -- jointly developed consensus recommendations to improve test methods for ensuring the safety of AC and USB chargers, said the CPSC Thursday. In trilateral letters to the standards development organizations in the three countries, the agencies recommended new testing to assess potential fire and burn hazards caused by AC and USB chargers for small electronic devices. The effort is the first example of a joint consumer product safety standard recommendation developed among multiple governments that aren’t members of a single administrative region, they said. Goal of the multiyear project is to foster closer alignment of consumer product safety requirements through technical consultations and seek consensus approaches to consumer product hazards not yet being addressed through formal regulatory or standards work, they said. In joint letters to U.S.-based Underwriters Laboratories, Canada-based CSA Group and the Mexican government’s Directorate General of Standards, staff cited numerous incidents of injuries: burns from contact with hot surfaces on an electronic device, or the charger itself; fires and explosions that initiated within the charger, or in one of the cords attached to the charger; and electric shock injuries from user-contact with an exposed energized conductor when the charger housing is breached by melting, or when the housing breaks apart. Incidents also included lithium-ion battery fires as a result of improper charging. The letters noted that incidents are more prevalent when an AC charger or USB charger hasn't been evaluated and certified by a third-party testing facility. The team examined incident data and analyzed existing voluntary standards before proposing new testing procedures and requesting that standards developers add the tests to their current standards. The initiative proved multiple jurisdictions “can develop consensus recommendations to improve voluntary safety standards, if they consult early and compare data and experience,” said CPSC acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. A second round of the Early Consultation Initiative will be underway this year, she said.