During COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the 10.37 million laptop and tablet imports to the U.S. in May rose 10.8% sequentially and 21% from May 2019, show Census Bureau data we accessed Friday through the International Trade Commission. May shipments had $4.58 billion in customs value, up 6.5% from April and 25.7% from the same 2019 month. China sourced 93% of the imports. Stay-at-home mandates spurred global shipments of “traditional” PCs to an 11.2% year-over-year increase in Q2 to 72.3 million, reported IDC Thursday. Work-from-home and remote-learning mandates sparked demand growth that “surpassed previous expectations,” said IDC: COVID-19 is returning computers to “the center of consumers' tech portfolio."

COVID-19-related timing provision adjustments are extended through Sept. 8, the Copyright Office said Friday. Originally to expire May 12, adjustments had been extended to July 10 (see 2005010032). It's for “certain registration claims, notices of termination, and section 115 notices of intention and statements of account,” the CO said.

Online “booth fees” for 2020 CEDIA Expo Virtual are $750-$7,500, said an Emerald X presentation for prospective exhibitors. Companies have a choice to opt out of the virtual show and get a refund over the next 30-60 days for registration fees they paid for the physical 2020 show. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the physical show in Denver. Companies also can have a portion of their 2020 funds applied to the mid-September virtual show and the remainder toward the next scheduled physical show, Sept. 1-3, 2021, in Indianapolis, Eric Bodley, CEO of Future Ready Solutions, told us Thursday, calling the options "fair." Show owner Emerald canceled the in-person event due to COVID-19 (see 2005280029). CEDIA Expo 2020 was scheduled for Denver Sept. 8-12; its virtual counterpart is Sept. 15-17.

Spending intentions continued to trend upward, said a COVID-19 Cowen investor report Friday surveying 2,500 U.S. consumers June 25-30. Thirteen percent expect to spend more on media and at-home entertainment services during July. Ten percent expect to spend more on cable, phone or internet, and 9% said they will spend more on electronics. Of those expecting their income to decrease over the next three months, 14% would cancel digital streaming subscriptions; 13% would cut back on cable services; 8% would switch to a cheaper phone plan.

The union that represents FCC employees praised a letter Thursday from four Senate Democrats urging the White House to allow federal workers to continue working from home. “Maximum telework policies have worked well across government during this health crisis, allowing agencies to continue functioning while also keeping employees safe at home,” said National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon. “As COVID-19 cases continue to increase, there is no reason to end those policies now.” The letter from Maryland's Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Benjamin Cardin and Virginia's Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said the federal government shouldn't require federal employees to return to work, especially in this region. The reopening guidelines for Virginia and Maryland urge employers to allow maximum telework, the letter said. “Any increased crowding on trains and buses in the National Capital Region will only further increase the risk of spreading COVID-19,” said the letter.

Older customers in its largely rural footprint adopted technologies including broadband "at an alarming rate" during the pandemic, said Astrea Vice President-General Manager Cory Heigl during a Fiber Broadband Association webinar Thursday. "We had to provide a lot of education," he said, and customer support conversations with an older demographic can be more complex. The reduced visibility into customers' households during the pandemic presented challenges in providing customer service, he said. Educational tools through social media, website videos and apps help, Heigl said. "We're really excited about call deflection" when customers who resolve problems through online tools don't need to call. The pandemic has prompted such moves at ISPs (see 2004100038).

Households with children in the 6-11 age group lead technology product and entertainment service purchasing in the U.S., blogged Parks Associates Thursday. About 30% of broadband households have children at home, some 32 million households, and identify as “innovators” who like to buy a new product early in its lifecycle. Possible inhibitors to future tech adoption are the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting financial impact, with 61% of households with children feeling more cost-conscious because of the pandemic, Parks said. Device makers and service providers should emphasize their solution’s value, such as safety and security; entertainment is also important to keep children engaged, said analyst Jennifer Kent.

COVID-19 forced the National Retail Federation to cancel its Jan. 17-19 NRF 2021 expo and conference as a physical show at New York’s Javits Convention Center, said the association Thursday. It’s the first known major trade show in 2021 to fall to the pandemic. NRF 2021 was scheduled to open as an in-person show about a week after CES 2021 closes Jan. 9. NRF will move the physical show to June 6-8, and host a virtual event over five days in January. The online event and the physical show in June will be themed “Forward Together,” said NRF. “Given the understandable concerns among all of our stakeholders regarding the availability and effectiveness of treatments or a vaccine for the coronavirus, we have concluded it is not feasible to maintain our original schedule of an in-person January 2021 trade show,” said NRF CEO Matthew Shay. Another complication is the use of Javits as a 2,500-bed COVID-19 Army field hospital. Those circumstances forced the cancellation last month of the Oct. 21-22 NAB Show New York as a physical event (see 2006090058)

Reallocate at least 45 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use and consider moving auto safety to the lightly used 4.9 GHz band, New America said in a paper Thursday. Action on 5.9 GHz “is particularly critical for consumers and the economy to the extent that it creates the first unencumbered 160 megahertz channel to support the next generation of Wi-Fi technology that will help Americans everywhere to access gigabit-fast and affordable 5G-capable applications and services,” the group said: Reserving 30 MHz for vehicle-to-everything technology “strikes an appropriate balance.” The FCC is expected to reallocate the band this summer (see 2004300032). Moving V2X to 4.9 GHz or another band would “better harmonize V2X services with 5G networks” and a potential “roadblock” to Wi-Fi in 5.9 GHz, the group said. Auto industry groups didn’t comment. The FCC is also expected to take another look at the 4.9 GHz band (see 2005040061). Fixed wireless networks depend on spectrum and Wireless ISP Association members need more quickly, especially 5.9 GHz, said Louis Peraertz, vice president-policy, during a WifiForward webinar Thursday. WISPs faced sharp increases in demand as a result of the pandemic, up 36% on average based on a member survey, he said. The band used by WISPs under special temporary authority from the FCC has been critical and members hope the STAs will be extended “because losing this spectrum will be too disruptive to their consumers,” he said. TCC Networks relies on unlicensed spectrum in the 5, 24 and 60 GHz bands, said CEO Donald Dawson. The Massachusetts WISP is looking at the citizens broadband radio service band, “but the concern about the level of difficulty there is scaring us a bit,” he said: “What we are in great need for is additional unlicensed spectrum.” Use of 5.9 GHz spectrum allowed TCC to keep up with COVID-19 demands and add bandwidth for all users, Dawson said.

COVID-19 caused communication service providers to “pause” large-scale fiber installations, including fiber to the home, said Exfo CEO Philippe Morin on a Wednesday investor call. The Quebec City company supplies test equipment and services to wireless carriers. Sales declined 10.1% in fiscal Q3 ended May 31. “As economies are gradually reopening around the world, we are witnessing an increase in our funnel in our opportunities for optical and high-speed test solutions,” said Morin. Exfo’s “advanced optical test solutions” for its manufacturing and lab clients is delivering “healthy growth, mainly in China, where we've seen an acceleration of 5G investment,” he said. It “remains difficult” to forecast the pandemic’s impact on the global economy, he said. “long-term drivers,” including fiber and 5G deployments, “remain intact,” he said. Customers AT&T and Verizon “think it's so critical” to speed their 5G deployments in North America, he said. “In certain countries in Europe, you've seen a bit of delays.” Exfo’s factories are “up and running” and “fully operational,” said Morin. There remain bottlenecks in “the whole logistics side of things,” he said. “There's still some challenges in terms of flights and trucks.”