Verizon's Hans Vestberg said he was among CEOs and other executives who spoke with President Donald Trump Wednesday about how to restart the U.S. economy once the widespread shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Vestberg is among six executives Trump named to a telecom-specific industry group advising the White House on reopening the U.S. economy (see personals section, this issue). The others are Liberty Media’s John Malone, Comcast’s Brian Roberts, Charter’s Thomas Rutledge, T-Mobile’s Mike Sievert and Altec’s Lee Styslinger. A separate tech sector group of 15 executives includes Apple’s Tim Cook, Qualcomm’s Steven Mollenkopf, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Google parent Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, Broadcom’s Hock Tan and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. The call with Trump “was very useful,” Vestberg said in a statement. “Verizon and many other companies across the country are committed to finding ways of effectively doing business in the ‘new normal,’ and we're equally looking forward to doing our part to help bring back a strong and vibrant U.S. economy.”
WWE is furloughing a portion of its staff, cutting executive compensation and putting off a buildout of its headquarters for at least six months due to the pandemic's effects on business (see 2004100003), it said Wednesday. Asked for specifics about furlough size, it didn't comment.
The Library of Congress canceled all scheduled public events until July 1 due to COVID-1. It previously closed buildings and facilities to the public until further notice (see 2003270007).
The Scripps Research Institute and Stanford Medicine are working with Fitbit, using the wearable maker’s data to help detect, track and contain infectious diseases like COVID-19, said the company Tuesday. They are inviting other institutions to join the effort and share learning with researchers. Early evidence shows wearables can help predict the onset of an infectious disease like the flu before symptoms start, Fitbit said, and the consortium's goal is "to unlock similar potential via leading research institutions in response to COVID-19." Scripps recently launched an app-based research program to analyze participants’ wearable health data to detect the emergence of the flu, coronavirus and other fast-spreading viral illnesses.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr noted on Twitter he had been blocked from following Lijian Zhao, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of China. Carr is a recurring critic of how that nation has silenced those criticizing its handling of COVID-19 (see 2004100062). “No higher honor than getting blocked by the chief propagandist of the communist regime in China,” Carr tweeted. China's embassy in Washington didn't comment.
Q1 shipments of PCs, including desktops, laptops and workstations, declined 9.8% globally to 53.2 million, reported IDC. It blamed the “stark decline” on “reduced supply” from the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the world's largest supplier of PCs. Inventories were “somewhat limited” in Q1 as consumers flooded retail for connectivity tools for telework and distance learning as the U.S. began sheltering in place, said IDC Monday. “A few vendors and retailers were able to keep up with the additional demand as the threat of increased tariffs last year led to some inventory stockpiling at the end of 2019. It fears “this bump in demand may be short lived as many fear the worst is yet to come and this could lead to both consumers and businesses tightening spending in the coming months."
Infinite Electronics makes 60-72 face shields weekly at its Hayden, Idaho, facility to help West Coast medical facilities facing COVID-19 shortages, Katee Schalau, technical content specialist, emailed us Tuesday. The electronic components maker announced last week it’s using a printing design developed by 3D printer maker Budmen Industries to donate face shields.
The Media Institute April 27 luncheon with FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly was moved to June 25, the institute emailed us Monday. That's the second delay due to COVID. Initially, the event was to have been March 25.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., led filing of the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors (Access) Act in a bid to increase senior citizens’ access to telehealth during COVID-19. The bill would make a $50 million emergency appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Telehealth Resource Center for nursing facilities receiving Medicare and Medicaid, Capito’s office said Monday. The measure would establish an HHS grant program to help enable nursing facility residents’ participation in “virtual visits” with loved ones while the health risk of in-person visits remains high. Two Democratic senators are co-sponsors: Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
“Keeping Britain connected” is the “biggest contribution” Huawei can make in the U.K’s effort to defeat COVID-19, said Vice President Victor Zhang in an “open letter” Monday. “Despite this, there has been groundless criticism from some about Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s 5G rollout,” he said. “Disrupting our involvement in the 5G rollout would do Britain a disservice.” Once the crisis passes, “we look forward to continuing to play our role as a key partner in improving the networks, benefiting the economy and ultimately everyone in the UK, ending the postcode lottery of good connectivity,” he said. “Right now, by keeping Britain online, we are able to play our part in helping the country through this difficult period.”