Industry will need to invest about $3 trillion over the next decade in R&D and capital spending globally across the value chain “to meet the increasing demand for semiconductors” that's causing severe shortages across multiple industries, concluded a new Semiconductor Industry Association report prepared with Boston Consulting Group and released Thursday. “Industry participants and governments must collaborate to continue facilitating worldwide access to markets, technologies, capital, and talent, and make the supply chain more resilient.” Government action, in the form of financial incentives and subsidies, “is needed to address vulnerabilities in the global semiconductor supply chain and ensure its long-term strength and resilience,” it said.

In an increasingly crowded media segment that continues to steal share from traditional pay TV, skinny bundle newcomer Vidgo hopes to carve out a niche through its business model, content focus and social TV feature, President Shane Cannon told a Parks Associates future of video conference Wednesday. More than 120 million consumers have subscribed to skinny bundles, and Cannon said he expects that number to “pick up steam” over the rest of 2021, as live TV streaming becomes “the preferred way to watch” among younger viewers who want to pick their own content.

Micron Technology’s DRAM business is in a “severe shortage,” but its NAND market “is showing signs of stabilization in the near term,” said CEO Sanjay Mehrotra on a Wednesday earnings call for fiscal Q2, ended March 4. Despite industry shortages and other headwinds, “we are in an excellent position to capitalize on the strong demand for memory and storage, driven by artificial intelligence and 5G across the data center, the intelligent edge and user devices,” he said.

Few surprises emerged in the latest procedural order Wednesday, in which the three-judge panel presiding over the massive Section 301 litigation inundating the U.S. Court of International Trade order dispensed with most of the last remaining case management housekeeping items (see 2103310062). The order enables the true litigation to get started, after months of delay. Importers are suing to vacate the List 3 and 4A tariff rulemakings on Chinese imports and get the paid duties refunded, alleging violations of the 1974 Trade Act and 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

Virtual MVPD subscribership by 2023 will be higher than that of telco and satellite pay TV combined, behind cable TV, said Parks Associates analyst Paul Erickson on a Wednesday webcast. By 2024, vMVPD will have 30% of pay-TV subscriptions vs. 16% for telcos and 16% satellite, he said.

The FCC must close a loophole that lets gear from Huawei and other Chinese companies be approved under equipment authorization rules, Commissioner Brendan Carr said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar. The agency barred equipment by Huawei and ZTE in networks funded by USF. It should clamp down to ensure it’s not used in any U.S. systems, Carr said.

President Joe Biden’s administration proposed $100 billion in broadband spending Wednesday as part of the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan infrastructure proposal. That level of spending and Biden’s calls for legislation to improve broadband pricing transparency and affordability mirror Democratic lawmakers' Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR-1783/S-745) and Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s America Act (HR-1848), as expected (see 2103160001). Reaction to the plan divided along party lines.

The upcoming 3.45 GHz auction and yet-to-be-scheduled 2.5 GHz sale are likely to get broad interest from smaller carriers, industry officials said during a Competitive Carriers Association virtual conference Wednesday. They warned that holding three midband auctions in a short time poses financial issues.

Congress should fund an infrastructure package because too many areas won’t get broadband without federal help, House Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., told a Competitive Carriers Association virtual conference Tuesday. “The business case just doesn’t exist for too many communities,” he said: “Infrastructure is a high priority for me and for this new administration.”

The Senate Commerce Committee plans a confirmation hearing in April for FTC nominee Lina Khan, Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us, calling Khan a “strong nomination.” Meanwhile, Commissioner Christine Wilson and former FTC officials credited acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter for forming a new rulemaking group within the General Counsel’s Office (see 2103250056).