Some antitrust litigation is slowing down due to COVID-19, but antitrust enforcers are “very much” still investigating, FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips said Tuesday. He told a Politico webcast that merger and acquisitions filings have decreased. He said the agency is handling the pandemic “as best we can,” moving its Hart-Rodino-Scott M&A reviews to an online program (see 2003270059). The agency is “steady as she goes,” he said, noting a joint statement with DOJ warning of criminal liability for antitrust enforcement: “We’re very much still here.”
ISPs are adopting evolving protocols to help keep service technicians and residential customers safe during COVID-19, they said in interviews last week. Actions include screening customers for their risk of exposure to the virus before scheduling a truck roll, equipping tech staff with personal protective gear, limiting repair work to what can be done outside, and promoting self-installation and repair. Even before the pandemic, cable operators and telcos sought to limit how frequently they send staff to customers' homes.
COVID-19 effects continue in telecom, media and technology (TMT). NAB won't move when planned, we were told Tuesday (see 2004140063). Earlier that day, we were told that the annual summer Technology Policy Institute conference in Aspen, Colorado, was postponed to the fall. TPI moved it cross-country. You can see that report in front of our pay wall here. Monday, we reported the FCC won't move on time.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, N.J., is circulating discussion language to provide $2 billion in “emergency broadband benefit” funding in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill. Some lobbyists we spoke with see the draft as Democrats’ bid to resurrect plans for emergency broadband funding without providing new ammunition to Lifeline critics. Several Democratic lawmakers want future COVID-19 legislation to fund broadband and other infrastructure (see 2003260063). Some groups are urging Congress to use the coming measure to address other communications policy priorities, including media funding (see 2004090066).
FCC workers and their National Treasury Employees Union praise the agency's precautions to protect employees from COVID-19. But NTEU filed an unfair labor practices grievance against the agency Monday over continuing contract negotiations during the pandemic, President Tony Reardon emailed us. The FCC acted faster than some other federal agencies, but critics told us none has responded quickly or well.
With the FCC expected to soon circulate a Ligado approval order (see 2004100060), NTIA and various federal agencies are making another push to stop the momentum. The military estimated the funding and time needed to replace military GPS receivers potentially affected by Ligado's L-band plans is in the billions of dollars and decades. Given the general pushback from agencies on every move to open up more spectrum for 5G and the lack of a unified spectrum policy, Chairman Ajit Pai's moving forward here makes sense, said Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld.
Public safety answering points are adapting to call-volume changes from the coronavirus and adjusting internal procedures to keep call takers healthy, 911 officials said in interviews this month. The New York City Fire Department Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (FDNY EMS) is having “record call volume,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Dwyer emailed.
A proposed ad hoc Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee working group held a single call after last month’s BDAC meeting, aimed at making sure wireless infrastructure gets built despite COVID-19. Citing complications of working within the rules, members told us they shifted to informal discussions between industry and local governments and likely won’t seek a charge from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to make coronavirus issues an official BDAC issue. Other WGs hold weekly meetings.
The Trump administration’s reported plan to create a COVID-19 data surveillance program with healthcare and tech companies lacks transparency, Democratic lawmakers wrote the White House Friday. They noted the industry's “checkered history” protecting patient and user privacy. Some stakeholders also raised concerns.
The telehealth industry fears the $200 million the FCC has available for emergency COVID-19 funding will quickly run out, before all forthcoming applications are considered. Stakeholders we spoke with this month are seeking additional funding, but called the funds included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act a good start. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Don Young, R-Ala., proposed an additional $2 billion in such spending Friday via their Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act (HR-6474).