Communications challenges posed by the novel coronavirus prompted NAB CEO Gordon Smith to seek help from other industries. He hopes for no retransmission consent blackouts of TV stations' content on MVPDs. And he wants social media platforms to work with broadcasters to combat fake news.

FCC staff waived some USF healthcare and E-rate gift rules amid COVID-19. Some stakeholders had sought these and other actions.

The FCC Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau are allowing stations in the current repack phase affected by delays related to the novel coronavirus to wait until the next phase, said a public notice Tuesday. The repack just began phase 9, scheduled to end May 1. Stations that can’t meet that deadline will be granted a waiver of that deadline and a reassignment to phase 10, May 2-July 3, the PN said.

Due to virus outbreak concerns, the majority of our staff is teleworking. We will be publishing without interruption and your subscriptions will be delivered on their normal schedule.

Dozens of ISPs of all sizes agreed to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's suggestion the industry not take adverse action against customers for the next two months amid the coronavirus pandemic, he announced Friday morning. Those companies won't terminate service to any residential or small-business customers because of inability to pay due to such disruptions; will waive any related late fees; and will open their Wi-Fi hot spots to anyone. Pai is also seeking that the providers make other changes, including related to bandwidth caps.

The FCC is encouraging staff to work remotely due to the coronavirus, we were told Thursday. This was expected. See here.

Due to the coronavirus, the FCC closed its building to visitors, Chairman Ajit Pai announced Thursday afternoon. He also noted in a series of tweets that the agency is encouraging its employees to work remotely, as we had just reported. See here. The commission cited the need for social distancing, which some experts say can help limit the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 caused CTA to cancel a raft of events through June, while moving another to a “virtual format,” said the association Wednesday.

NAB's annual show next month was canceled. CEO Gordon Smith cited the coronavirus.

The California Public Utilities Commission would conditionally allow T-Mobile to buy Sprint, under a proposed decision issued Wednesday by Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer. The PD tees up a commission vote at CPUC’s April 16 meeting.