A White House-convened 5G summit is among events to be postponed or canceled because of COVID-19. The FCC also announced policies intended to allow agency licensees to function during the pandemic. Unlike the FCC, staff at some agencies are still having to report to the office.
Puerto Rico has much to share about resiliency, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said in a recent interview after he returned from a field hearing (see 2002260041). "There has not been a network or a people that has been as tested," he said of the hits they took from Hurricane Maria in 2017 and from earthquakes more recently.
Few conferences, agencies and work routines in various business and public sectors were spared disruption Friday, the second full day since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. Nearly 2,000 U.S. cases of COVID-19 were confirmed through Friday afternoon, including 41 deaths.
A spiraling number of federal, state and local courts are restricting access or pausing cases due to coronavirus concerns, with more expected. Caught between the public's constitutional right of access to court proceedings and health risks, courts are probably going to opt for a "Goldilocks response" of reduced use of in-person proceedings, replaced with technological alternatives and written filings, University of Utah law professor Paul Cassell, a former U.S. District Court judge, told us.
Broadcast officials differ on what canceling the NAB Show from its April slot (see 2003110036) means for the industry, they said in interviews last week. Many said there are other avenues to connect with clients and vendors and new tech, but some said the show is a “one-stop shop” that can’t really be replicated.
Congress isn't yet shortening its schedule in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but members of both chambers’ Commerce and Judiciary committees told us last week not to expect their policymaking activities to be business as usual. Lawmakers barred public access to the Capitol and all House and Senate office buildings. Facilities remain open for members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff, credentialed journalists and business visitors.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai got pledges from top ISPs, including all major carriers and cable operators plus telcos, to keep everyone online for the next 60 days amid the coronavirus. Pai spoke with the companies Thursday, he said Friday; see our report here. Companies and trade associations endorsed the pledge. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks said that's a good start, but the agency needs to do more.
A day after NAB canceled its April show at the Las Vegas Convention Center (see 2003110036), the coronavirus continued turning life upside down Thursday for many in various business and public sectors. In excess of 1,500 U.S. cases of COVID-19 were confirmed through Thursday afternoon, including 39 deaths. The spread was on pace to surpass 2,000 confirmed U.S. cases by the start of the weekend.
The status of existing data protection rules and Privacy Shield in Britain is unclear following the nation's Jan. 31 departure from the EU, privacy attorneys told us. The two sides are in a transition period until Dec. 31 to allow them to negotiate a new relationship. During that time, the EU general data protection regulation will apply in the U.K., and companies won't need to take immediate action, a U.K. Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) FAQ says. It's anyone's guess how the talks will pan out and what they will mean for data protection rules between the U.K. and EU or the U.K. and the U.S., lawyers said.
With the FCC expected in April to tackle order on the 6 GHz band, CTIA remains committed to licensed use of part of the band, Jen Oberhausen, director-regulatory affairs, said during a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council teleconference Thursday. CTIA is fighting what some think is a losing battle to get the FCC to reconsider a plan to open all the spectrum for unlicensed use (see 2003050058).