The FTC and DOJ will issue draft merger guidelines in the “coming months,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday during the agencies’ final public listening forum on the topic (see 2204270064). Republican commissioners warned the Democratic majority against politicizing the document and to base any changes on established legal and economic analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove home the importance of being able to connect to the internet, said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the ITU Telecom Development Bureau, and candidate for secretary-general of the organization, during a virtual Telecommunications Industry Association conference Wednesday. The bureau recently concluded its international conference, held every four years, this year in Kigali, Rwanda. Other speakers stressed the importance of making connections more secure and the challenges industry continues to face.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative can’t demonstrate good cause for a Section 301 remand deadline extension “that would leave uncured its established legal violation for another two months to the continuing detriment of American businesses and consumers,” said Akin Gump lawyers for Section 301 litigation test plaintiffs HMTX Industries and Jasco Products in an opposition brief Tuesday at the U.S. Court of International Trade in docket 1:21-cv-52.

The FAA said Friday “key stakeholders in the aviation and wireless industries” have identified steps that will protect commercial air travel while allowing Verizon and AT&T to turn up the power on 5G C-band radios around protected airports on a case-by-case basis. The carriers agreed to keep mitigation measures in place around some airports for another year or longer. Airlines for America (A4A), which represents major airlines, raised concerns in a Friday letter to the FAA.

The FTC voted 4-1 Thursday to issue a report recommending Congress use “great caution” when mandating or promoting use of artificial intelligence in order to reduce online harms. Some AI tools show promise, but overall, AI is inadequate and shouldn’t be overly relied on, the report said.

With less than two weeks to spare before the June 30 deadline for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to file its remand results in the Section 301 litigation, the agency needs a 60-day extension to Aug. 29 due to the volume of work involved, the agency’s limited staff resources and other projects that are compounding its workload, said DOJ’s motion Friday in docket 1:21-cv-52 at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Akin Gump lawyers for test-case plaintiffs HMTX Industries and Jasco Products oppose the motion and will soon file a response, said DOJ. Matthew Nicely, Akin Gump’s lead attorney, declined comment Friday.

Revenue in Jabil’s diversified manufacturing services (DMS) business, which includes automotive, connected devices and mobility products, increased 7% in fiscal Q3 ended May 31, said the contract manufacturer Thursday. That the revenue growth was about 10 points below Jabil’s March guidance shows the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and persistent component shortages, said CEO Mark Mondello on a quarterly earnings call.

Europe's focus on the behavior of internet platforms advanced Thursday on several fronts. The European Parliament's lead committee endorsed a provisional agreement with governments on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The European Commission announced stricter rules for tech companies to fight disinformation. And European telecom regulators are examining the role Big Tech plays in internet connectivity issues and competition dynamics.

Amazon announced July 12-13 for this year’s annual Prime Day sales event, with a slate of up to half-off Fire TVs as headliners. The Thursday announcement also spotlighted brands iRobot and Beats, and promised Amazon’s “lowest prices ever” for select Sony and Bose products.

As the focus on 6G intensifies, Henning Schulzrinne, former FCC chief technology officer, warned an IEEE summit Tuesday that 5G hasn’t turned out as expected, at least not yet. We’re at “an inflection point” in the discussion of next-generation networks, said Schulzrinne, now a Columbia University professor.