Owners of Skullcandy Push Active and Grind headphones will be able to have their devices upgraded to include multi-simultaneous wake word functionality using Native Voice technology, said the software company Wednesday at Amazon’s Alexa Live 2022 developer conference. Native Voice’s technology will give hands-free access to multiple voice services. The Push Active and Grind series headphones are Skullcandy’s first to include both Alexa and the Skullcandy assistant simultaneously, in addition to other voice assistants, said the companies. Amazon established the Voice Interoperability Initiative to enable more customer choice and flexibility with multi-assistant capabilities, said Erin Egan, Amazon voice interoperability initiative lead. Skullcandy launched the Skull-iQ technology in September, with a priority to give users more access to services via voice control. That technology will be part of a variety of products to be launched, which will include Native Voice and direct access to Alexa and other voice assistants, they said. Skullcandy customers will be able to choose which voice services are most suitable for their lifestyle and needs. The headphone maker’s voice technology provides functional control of various devices with play, pause, and answering or rejecting calls; Alexa handles voice requests such as getting a recipe, or checking a sports score or weather forecast. Headphone users have to use multiple wake words, a spokesperson emailed. The free Native Voice updates for Push Active and Grind users are expected by year-end.
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington’s call last week for the FCC to examine its dependency on Nielsen Media Data (see 2207140055) has broadcaster and programmer support, but an accredited alternative isn't available, said broadcast and ratings industry officials in interviews. In some instances, moving away from Nielsen could be prohibitively disruptive, they said. “For some rules there are viable alternatives,” said Rob Folliard, Gray Television senior vice president-government relations and distribution. “But the entire industry is built on Nielsen" designated market areas. “We believe that this could open up competition and allow for competitors to Nielsen,” said LPTV Broadcasters Association Executive Director Peter Saad.
The House of Representatives voted 421-2 to remove tariffs on imported formula through the end of the year, just over three weeks since a bill was introduced by Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., to pause the tariffs.
The FCC again asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to extend abeyance on a lawsuit by the League of California Cities challenging the FCC’s June 2020 wireless infrastructure declaratory ruling. The court previously stretched the pause last spring (see 2204050033). The FCC sought another 120 days until Nov. 11. “Further abeyance will provide an opportunity for a fully-constituted Commission to consider how to proceed in this case,” wrote the commission Wednesday in case 20-71765. The FCC noted Senate confirmation of Gigi Sohn as commissioner is pending.
TikTok should end plans to “force personalized ads” on users, Access Now said in a statement Tuesday. Access Now wrote a July 5 letter to TikTok asking the company to cancel plans to target users over 18 with personalized ads in the European Economic Area, U.K. and Switzerland. Access Now cited a report that TikTok is pausing those plans in favor of working with regulators. Access Now Global Data Protection Lead Estelle Masse said the company “must end” the practice for good: “When we rang the alarm bells, data protection authorities from Italy, Ireland, and Spain listened. With their swift action to protect people’s rights, they shut down a problematic practice and potential harmful precedent before TikTok could implement it.” TikTok didn't comment.
TikTok should end plans to “force personalized ads” on users, Access Now said in a statement Tuesday. Access Now wrote a July 5 letter to TikTok asking the company to cancel plans to target users over 18 with personalized ads in the European Economic Area, U.K. and Switzerland. Access Now cited a report that TikTok is pausing those plans in favor of working with regulators. Access Now Global Data Protection Lead Estelle Masse said the company “must end” the practice for good: “When we rang the alarm bells, data protection authorities from Italy, Ireland, and Spain listened. With their swift action to protect people’s rights, they shut down a problematic practice and potential harmful precedent before TikTok could implement it.” TikTok didn't comment.
T-Mobile asked the FCC to pause new high-cost USF programs until programs funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act have been implemented, in a meeting with Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staff (see 2203180062). The carrier also met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-476. The new funding "largely overlaps" with the goals of the high-cost programs and is "equivalent to more than two decades' worth of support, T-Mobile said. There's also "no need for immediate contributions reform" if new support is paused, T-Mobile said, noting "recurring appropriations" for programs like the affordable connectivity program would "more efficiently distribute the burdens of the USF to different stakeholders and appropriately account for the shared benefits to society of expanded connectivity." Absent direct appropriations, the carrier said it backed assessing "network capacity usage" or "revenues generated over USF-funded networks."
The FCC Wireline Bureau extended until Dec.1, 2023, its waiver pausing the phasedown of Lifeline voice-only support and increase in minimum service standards, in an order posted Friday in docket 11-42 (see 2111050058). The bureau cited a "continued preference for voice-only services and the enduring nature" of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Administrative Law Judge Jane Halprin has granted a 20-day extension to low-power broadcaster Marion Educational Exchange to hire an attorney after the broadcaster failed to respond to multiple communications from the FCC, said an order in MEE’s license hearing proceeding Friday. "The Presiding Judge would be justified in dismissing this proceeding due to MEE’s failure to prosecute its application,” the order said. “Given the seriousness of that result, however, the Presiding Judge is willing to provide MEE more time to engage new counsel.” MEE had argued that it hadn’t received communications related to the case from the Media Bureau and its first attorney -- who has since withdrawn -- but Halprin expressed skepticism about those claims. “Perhaps Mr. Craft did not read the emails, but the Presiding Judge does not find it credible that he did not receive them,” the letter said, referring to Shawn Craft, MEE's board president. MEE has said it can’t afford a lawyer, but Halprin said MEE’s conduct has given her pause about allowing the proceeding to continue without the broadcaster having representation. “It is not clear that MEE has explored whether an attorney might take the case pro bono considering the company’s nonprofit status.”
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