Carr Defends Criticism of China, Says More COVID-19 Relief on the Way

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr isn't backing down from comments on Twitter earlier in the week criticizing China for spreading false reports that the U.S. is responsible for COVID-19, he told a Broadband Breakfast teleconference Thursday. Carr said more FCC actions on the pandemic are on the way. “We’re going to be in for a tough time,” he warned. So far, networks seem to be holding up, he said.

“Communist Party official cites their own state-run media ‘reporting’ to spread China’s false claim that COVID-19 originated in a U.S. research lab,” Carr tweeted Monday: “The Chinese regime has zero credibility. Remember that when they promise you Huawei’s 5G gear will not be used for malign purposes.” President Donald Trump and sympathetic media have begun to refer to the virus as Chinese, despite concerns by some Asian-Americans that this is encouraging racial incidents.

What we’re focused on right now is making sure the Americans stay connected, that we get through this global pandemic,” Carr said. “There are officials in the Chinese communist regime who have been putting out false information,” he said. He took “three seconds to call that out” while focusing on the U.S. response to COVID-19, he said.

The FCC is examining whether to waive various filing deadlines due to the crisis, Carr said. The regulator is closely monitoring Lifeline customers to make certain they aren’t cut off during the pandemic, he said. More E-rate changes are also being looked at, he said. “We are churning through a lot of these relief efforts,” he said. “We want more Americans connected wherever they can get connected right now,” he said.

Almost all FCC staffers are working remotely, Carr said: “There’s virtually nobody in the building.” FCC Chief of Staff Matthew Berry started putting out telework guidance to staff weeks ago, Carr said.

FCC commissioners and staff are working long hours to respond to the crisis, Carr said: “Really proud of the work that this agency has done on such a quick timeline” as well as the work of broadband providers. Most of what the FCC does is bipartisan, including work on the coronavirus response, he said. The FCC is making an “unprecedented” push to keep people connected, he said: “More so than ever Americans are going online to work remotely, for distance learning for their kids and for telehealth.”

Networks are taxed, but most of the demand that would come during peak periods is being extended over a longer period, Carr said.

One big issue is that many people living in rural areas still can’t connect,” Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, which focuses on the future of work and telework, said on a panel. “Not everybody lives in a place that has broadband, she said: “I hope that this will create some kind of urgency for that.”

Most employers already allow telecommuting, especially for senior employees, but don’t trust that everyone will work hard at home, Lister said. “Just because you can see the back of their heads does not mean that they’re working,” she said: “The highest volume of online shopping is during working hours. … It has to be about managing by results.”

Kaylin Trychon, vice president of ROKK Solutions, said companies need to focus on cybersecurity with many more teleworking. “We’re seeing an increase in malicious activity around the coronavirus,” she said.