The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance and Funds for Learning unveiled a Remote Learning During COVID-19 Act Thursday. The proposal mirrors SHLB’s April request for $5.25 billion in E-rate funding as part of COVID-19 legislation (see 2004280068). The House-passed Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HR-6800) includes $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059). More than 1,900 entities signed a Thursday letter to Capitol Hill leaders supporting including the Remote Learning During COVID-19 Act in future pandemic legislation, including New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge. The legislation “reflects the new reality that the traditional classroom model has had to shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the entities said. They said the proposal would “strengthen” the Emergency Educational Connections Act. HR-6563/S-3690 allocates less for E-rate.

Next Century Cities urged Capitol Hill leaders Thursday to “acknowledge that digital infrastructure is essential and invest in the requisite broadband expansion, adoption programs, and network sustainability strategies that give Americans access to widespread digital opportunities.” The group cited “profound disruptions” from COVID-19, “reveal[ing] the societal cost of when millions of Americans cannot afford or do not have access to broadband.” It wrote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the ranking minority party leaders. The House passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act last month. HR-6800 includes an $8.8 billion Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund and $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059).

COVID-19 response technology must be “non-discriminatory, effective, voluntary, secure, accountable, and used exclusively for public health purposes,” more than 80 advocacy groups said Thursday. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and New America’s Open Technology Institute signed a set of principles to “guide employers, policymakers, businesses, and public health authorities” while reopening society. Decision-makers should “be mindful of the risks of overreach and unintended consequences, especially to marginalized communities already suffering disproportionately from the virus and economic hardships,” the groups wrote.

House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, Ore., and Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Wash., pressed Zoom CEO Eric Yuan Thursday about the company’s data privacy practices and potential coordination with the Chinese government. The company has drawn increasing government scrutiny amid increasing videoconferencing use during the pandemic (see 2005110041). The Republicans responded to reports that Zoom closed the account of a group of U.S.-based Chinese activists after they held an event commemorating the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. “Zoom’s recent actions and acquiescence to China raise serious concerns about your data practices, including how you protect information you collect on Americans and, importantly, who you grant access to such information,” Walden and McMorris Rodgers wrote. They want information on what “’local law’ you claim to have complied with to justify suppressing the free speech of U.S.-based Chinese activists and identify the date on which you reinstated the accounts of such activists.” The lawmakers also want the company to “explain how Zoom collects information on Americans and what specific categories of information is collected.” It didn’t immediately comment.

Subscription-based businesses are more “resilient” to COVID-19's economic downturn than companies that had to endure supply chain disruptions, reported Zuora. It compared the subscriber acquisition metrics of 700 businesses before and after the pandemic struck in March and found 53.3% had limited impact, while 22.5% had subscriber growth accelerate. Relatively few had subscription growth slowing (12.8%) or contracting (11.4%), said Zuora. Over-the-top video streaming companies had the most growth, up sevenfold in March compared with the growth rate over the previous 12 months, it said. “As people shelter-at-home, streaming services for entertainment have seen a spike in subscription growth.” Consumer IoT is experiencing a slowdown, said the report. Growth there in March was a third of that in the previous year, it said. Consumers under lockdown mandates were “not rushing to buy” IoT devices and services, and companies in the sector “are seeing a decline in subscription sign-ups,” it said.

The Library of Congress canceled all public events until Sept. 1, the LOC announced Wednesday, citing COVID-19. Buildings and facilities remain closed.

The FCC approved $20.2 million for 67 applicants to its COVID-19 telehealth program, it said Wednesday. In total, the agency has approved $104.98 million to 305 healthcare providers in 42 states and Washington, D.C., more than half the congressionally allotted budget of $200 million (see 2004010042). "We will continue processing applications as quickly as we can in order to promote worthy telehealth projects across the country,” Chairman Ajit Pai said.

Five Below e-commerce sales were four times higher in fiscal Q1 ended May 2 than the year-ago quarter, as total sales fell 45%, said CEO Joel Anderson on a quarterly call. It began reopening stores April 21 and now has about 90% of its 920 locations back in business in 36 states, he said Tuesday. The retailer sells kids-targeted headphones and tech accessories, most under $5. It began closing stores days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11. All stores closed for most of the second half of Q1. The stock closed 9.4% higher Wednesday at $113.67.

The residential alarm-monitoring market is being pinched during the pandemic. Omdia scaled back 2020 growth projections Tuesday from 3.8% in 2020 to 0.8%. The market is historically less susceptible to economic downturns than other industries but is “feeling the pain” during the pandemic, said Blake Kozak. “The COVID-19 crisis is on a completely different scale than previous recessions,” said Kozak. Employees entering consumers’ homes must wear personal protective equipment, said the analyst. Cable operators and telcos are taking similar steps, and some of those companies and tech platforms also have home security products (see 2004100038).

The FCC used Microsoft Teams for its first video meeting of commissioners, Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters after the gathering, answering our query. "The meeting was a success." The Office of Media Relations coordinated before Tuesday's meeting with all the offices of commissioners, bureaus and other offices participating in the event, Pai said. "Our goal is to make sure that we can be as transparent as possible even though we are in this new environment." We asked what it would take technically to bring back FCC staff news conferences after monthly meetings. Pai deferred to OMR for details. "I had the idea and I pushed it," Commissioner Mike O'Rielly told reporters in his own virtual news briefing, about the FCC video gathering. "It felt like a real meeting" he said of the virtual commissioners' meeting. Democratic commissioners and agency staff haven't held virtual news briefings after meetings while the agency's headquarters have been mostly closed during COVID-19. For a recent report on that, see here. (The article is in front of our pay wall, as is some other coronavirus coverage.) There's been one request, from Communications Daily, for staffers such as those at bureaus to participate in news conferences during this period of remote work, an FCC spokesperson emailed. "We have not yet determined the best approach, or if there will be buffering and bandwidth issues, to having such a large number of people conduct a press conference remotely." During teleworking amid the pandemic, the representative said OMR has had no media requests "specific to bureaus and meeting items" approved at the monthly commissioners' meetings. He said OMR remains "happy to take emailed questions from reporters for the bureaus after the meeting and relay back answers." FCC IT staff "sped up implementation of our video conference vendor, which was initially planned to coincide with the move to the new building, to accommodate the agency teleworking," completing that work in the past month, the rep said. "In the last couple of weeks, the video platform added functionality to show more than four participants at one time, enabling the full Commission to be viewed together." COVID-19 delayed the headquarters move.