Were the Trump administration to work out a deal with Congress on repatriation tax reform, that wouldn't be “positioned as a tax holiday,” but “a permanent solution, which we would be very happy with,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins told his company’s annual shareholder meeting Monday. Major companies have a lot of money parked overseas that they can’t bring back to the U.S. because it would be taxed at a high rate, and “most of the companies with repatriation money are tech companies,” CTA President Gary Shapiro told us just after the election (see 1611090038). For Cisco, freeing up its repatriation money “would certainly give us more flexibility” to pay for mergers and acquisitions, shareholder dividends and stock buybacks, Robbins said in Q&A. The company would welcome more comprehensive corporate tax law overhaul under the new administration, he said. “Lower corporate tax rates really are the levers for investment in an operating environment,” said Robbins. “That’s actually where I think the jobs get created through that model, because we’re able to invest more, we’re able to put more money into innovation.” There’s also the hope of “returning some portion of that to our shareholders as well,” he said. “So we’re optimistic and we’ll see how it plays itself out.” Robbins sidestepped a question on the impact to Cisco if Trump sparks a trade war with China. The equipment maker does manufacturing in “I want to say, 12 different countries around the world,” so it has a very diversified “supply chain,” he said. “We’ve invested in China from a relationship perspective,” and “relative to our business and the partnerships in China, we’ve actually been very pleased with how it’s played out over the last year,” he said. “We’ll continue to do all the things that we can to ensure that our business in China is successful.”

Aura Labs, marketer of a mobile blood pressure app, agreed to settle FTC allegations the app's readings aren't as precise as a traditional around-the-arm blood pressure cuff, said the commission in a Monday news release. Commissioners voted 3-0 to authorize staff to file the complaint and stipulated order, which was filed and signed by a judge in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the FTC said. “For someone with high blood pressure who relies on accurate readings, this deception can actually be hazardous,” said Consumer Protection Bureau Director Jessica Rich. “While the Commission encourages the development of new technologies, health-related claims should not go beyond the scientific evidence available to support them.” The commission said the company, which does business as AuraLife and AuraWare, and its co-owner Ryan Archdeacon are barred from making deceptive claims about the app and any health benefit claims without supporting scientific evidence. The settlement also imposed a nearly $600,000 judgment, which is suspended because the defendants are unable to pay unless they misrepresented their financial condition, the commission said. In a statement on the company's website, Archdeacon said the dialogue with the FTC "was a learning experience" for both sides and the company values consumer safety. "That being said, we feel that the agency's heavy handed approach can stifle innovation with a costly and bureaucratic process," he said. "A conversation regarding potential concerns early on would have allowed the Commission and the company to reach a swift resolution, saving time, energy and taxpayer dollars."

Australia-based Moose Toys, which makes "SelfieMic," should stop advertising claims that "imply" children under 13 also can use the app StarMaker, which is promoted with the product, but is age-restricted -- a recommendation accepted by the toymaker, said the Children's Advertising Review Unit in a Friday news release. CARU, which is the ad industry's investigative unit, administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, said it found Moose's TV ad that portrayed the use of the product and app for children under 13 through routine monitoring. "However, users seeking to save videos, share them with friends, redeem bonus tokens for popular songs and purchase songs with the app, are required to share personally identifiable information [PII] as part of a registration process," said the release. "To prevent children under the age of 13 from sharing such information, the app contains an age gate." StarMaker Interactive's privacy policy said its StarMaker app isn't directed to children under 13, "and we do not knowingly collect PII from children under 13." CARU said it wanted Moose Toys to remove the TV ad or modify it to accurately depict how children under 13 could "realistically use the product." In its advertiser's statement, the toymaker said it accepts the recommendations, according to CARU. Moose didn't comment.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to consult with the city attorney Dec. 13​ in closed session on a proposed ordinance prohibiting landlords of multi-dwelling units from interfering with tenants’ choice of communications service providers. The board voted 9-1 Tuesday in favor of the motion for closed session on item 161110, said meeting minutes posted Wednesday evening. The Electronic Frontier Foundation supported the proposed ordinance in a Sunday blog post. “San Francisco is one of the few places in the United States with significant broadband competition, but many renters are barred from taking advantage of alternatives to large Internet service providers like Comcast and AT&T,” EFF wrote. “Many landlords agree to restrict tenants’ choice of ISP in exchange for kickbacks from the favored provider.”

Headphone audio expo CanJam Global will be held Feb. 4-5 in the Broadway Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The event is sponsored by Audeze, Echobox and Hi-Fi+ magazine. Among the 44 exhibitors as of Tuesday: Acoustic Research, Audio-Technica, Focal, Jerry Harvey Audio, Kimber Kable, Sony and Stax.

The Trump transition's Jeff Eisenach cited Latino economic and demographic dynamism in a study Tuesday by NERA Economic Consulting, where he's managing director. "The US Latino population is growing, young, increasingly educated, employed, connected, entrepreneurial, and upwardly mobile in terms of income as well as consumption," said the study. It said: the Latino population grew from 22 million in 1990 to 57 million in 2015 and is considerably younger than the U.S. population average; Latinos are responsible for 29 percent of the growth in real income since 2005; are more likely to participate in the labor force; are more likely to be entrepreneurs; and accounted for 46 percent of U.S. employment growth 2011-15; with $1.3 trillion-plus in buying power. Eisenach is a member of President-elect Donald Trump's FCC landing team, along with fellow American Enterprise Institute scholars Mark Jamison and Roslyn Layton (see 1611210045, 1611280050, 1611230014 and 1611290022).

President-elect Donald Trump plans to convene CEOs in early February for what he’s calling a Strategic and Policy Forum. Disney's Bob Iger, General Motors' Mary Barra and IBM's Ginni Rometty are to be among attendees. “My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America,” Trump said in a statement. The meeting will be at the White House, the transition team said: “Members of the Forum will be charged with providing their individual views to the President -- informed by their unique vantage points in the private sector -- on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation, and productivity.”

Record labels remained the largest investors in the music industry during 2015, having spent more than $4.5 billion globally for artists and repertoire (A&R) as well as marketing that year, reported the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and World Independent Network Wednesday. The $4.5 billion that record labels spent on A&R and marketing in 2015 equaled 27 percent of the labels' total revenue for the year, IFPI and WIN said. Companies have sustained their investment in the music industry despite “two decades of revenue decline,” the groups said. Music companies and distributors also invest in developing the digital music market's infrastructure, which now includes 360 digital music services globally, IFP and WIN said. The report “highlights not just record companies’ financial investment in artists, but also the enduring value they bring to artists’ careers,” IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore and WIN CEO Alison Wenham said in a news release.

YunOS, a division of Alibaba, joined the ZigBee Alliance at the participant level, the trade organization announced Wednesday. YunOS works with various partners in the information industry and powers smart devices including phones, wearables, internet cars, robots and household appliances. More than 400 companies are in the ZigBee Alliance.

Saturday’s Fox Sports TV broadcast of the Big Ten championship game between Wisconsin and Penn State will feature a GoPro camera embedded in the game referee's cap, the companies jointly announced Wednesday. GoPro worked closely with Fox Sports and Big Ten officials to design a referee-worn hat that "delivers a unique POV perspective from the heart of the action," the companies said. The GoPro footage will be shown live during the game and also will be captured as an “isolated stream” on Fox Sports Go, the network’s TV everywhere service, they said.