World Wrestling Entertainment's annual shareholder meeting, postponed from April due to the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2004100003), will be held virtually on July 16 because of health concerns, it said Friday.

The Wireless Bureau released an electronic process for FCC licensees to apply for expedited Section 106 historic review or emergency authorization of wireless facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation rules “include provisions to allow certain critical infrastructure projects to proceed under expedited Section 106 review during emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis,” said a notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. “The Commission may issue emergency authorizations for infrastructure projects critical for responding to emergency situations."

Global IT spending on cloud-based infrastructure grew 2.2% in Q1, while investments in “non-cloud environments plunged 16.3%, reported IDC Thursday. “The broadening impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was the major factor driving infrastructure spending,” it said. “Widespread lockdowns across the world and staged reopening of economies triggered increased demand for cloud-based consumer and business services.” IDC forecasts the Q1 pace “will continue through rest of the year as cloud adoption continues to get an additional boost."

Auction 903 and rural broadband experiment funding recipients have a limited waiver until the end of 2021 from letter of credit rules, the Wireline Bureau said Friday. Skybeam and the Connect America Fund Phase II Coalition petitioned for waivers to conform with recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund rules (see 2003110034). Staff said waiver is justified given how the pandemic has increased demand for broadband while impeding business.

Revenue in CalAmp’s LoJack business was $6.6 million in Q1 ended May 31, down from $11.2 million in Q4, said Chief Financial Officer Kurt Binder on a Thursday investor call. It’s the first time CalAmp broke out that stolen-vehicle recovery business it bought four years ago, he said. Executives charted a future for that business. The stock closed 8.9% higher Friday at $8.37. It's moving to "aggressively transition it to a subscription-based business model” from a one-time stand-alone device sale, said Binder. He blamed the revenue decline on the “slowdown in device installations” due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Installations “got better” as fiscal Q1 progressed, and “more of the markets around the country opened up,” said interim CEO Jeff Gardner. “But it was a struggle.” Reopenings take place “at a different pace,” “depending on the region or the state,” he said. LoJack is “challenged from a performance perspective,” said Gardner. “It's one of my top objectives to begin transitioning this business to a recurring revenue model that offers significant value to our dealer partners and their customers, similar to a model that we provide to all of our international businesses.” The business suffers because its “legacy” product runs on a proprietary RF frequency out of step with the automotive industry, said Gardner: “The world's really moving to telematics,” and LoJack is playing catchup.

The FCC Media Bureau extended a waiver of sponsorship identification rules for donated COVID-19-related public service announcements through Aug. 31, said a public notice Friday. Since the PSAs are created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and don’t include the names of the entities that donated advertising time to air them, they would otherwise violate sponsorship ID rules. Despite some states lifting stay-at-home orders, “many restrictions, including 'social distancing' measures, remain in effect with uncertain timetables for their removal,” MB said.

Microsoft is closing its physical stores and will provide sales, training and support remotely, it said Friday. The company will “reimagine” spaces that serve customers, including Microsoft Experience Centers in New York; London; Redmond, Washington; and Sydney. Store closings will result in a pretax charge of $450 million, to be recorded in Q2. “Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings," said Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Porter. The company has been serving customers remotely over the past few months during the pandemic, he said. New online services include 1:1 video chat support, online tutorial videos and virtual workshops.

Some 31 Apple stores were shown closed on the company’s website Thursday, including seven in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the state will pause further reopening phases amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The Department of Health State Services estimated 50,774 active cases statewide. Apple showed all four Houston stores closed; the Texas Medical Center reported intensive care unit beds at 100% capacity Wednesday. Harris County, Houston's home, led with 25,786 confirmed cases Wednesday, said Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Seven states reported new highs for current coronavirus hospitalizations this week, said The Washington Post : Arizona, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. All six Apple stores in Arizona were temporarily shuttered. The state had the biggest upward trend of new cases, said Johns Hopkins. In Florida, Apple stores in Estero and Naples were shown closed, while four of five stores in North Carolina -- and both South Carolina stores -- were shuttered. Two of four Tennessee stores -- Germantown and Nashville -- were closed. Apple began a gradual reopening of U.S. stores last month (see 2005180043) after it temporarily shut all U.S. storefronts in March. The company didn't comment.

Analytics company Verint partnered with Viziblezone on COVID-19 contact tracing software for smartphones to help return employees to physical work spaces, said the Israeli startup Thursday. “While many global brands have already stated their intention to keep employees working from home, this solution has particular benefit for companies who require their workforce to be physically present.”

Federal and state governments should protect municipal control over the right of way and their ability to receive fair-market compensation for access to public assets, including for small cells, said a U.S. Conference of Mayors proposed resolution that was amended and adopted Thursday by the conference's Transportation and Communications Committee. It still needs OK by the full body. Partnerships, not deregulation and preemption, will bring universal broadband, it said. FCC preemption threatens localities’ ability to provide public safety and health services during the pandemic, it said. The resolution urged passage of various local government bills including HR-530, S-2012, S-3218 and HR-5659. The FCC didn’t comment. Cities challenged the FCC’s June wireless infrastructure order earlier this week (see 2006240060).