Facing what the New York Attorney General's Office told us is an inquiry into Charter Communications' labor practices and management of employees during the pandemic, the company emailed us Wednesday that it has been "dramatically" reducing the number of workers going into the field or office "while maintaining the efficacy of our business operations." It said most office and call center workers are remote, it announced a permanent $1.50 an hour pay increase to field operations and customer service employees retroactive to their annual increase in February, and committed to a $20 hourly minimum wage in 2022. It said it has given every worker an additional 15 days of COVID-19-related flex time and promised no furloughs or layoffs for at least 60 days. The cable operator said it instructed employees to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for quarantining if sick, with full pay and benefits. The company said many workers at its corporate campuses are on a rotating schedule to allow for minimal interaction and social distancing, and it escalated routine cleanings in line with CDC guidelines. Other cablers and other ISPs are taking similar moves, we have found (see 2004100038).
COVID-19 forced cancellation of the Sept. 4-9 IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin as a physical event, organizers Messe Berlin tweeted. "IFA Berlin is set to go ahead in 2020, but with an innovative new concept, following the decision by the Berlin government to ban all events with more than 5,000 participants" until Oct. 24, they said. Organizers "anticipated this development and for several weeks now have been discussing a range of alternative concepts," they tweeted. "Planning is well advanced for a concept that will allow IFA to deliver on its core functions for our industry," they said, albeit in the form of a virtual event. CES is proceeding as planned for Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas, said CTA Tuesday (see 2004210057), hours before IFA cancellation.
Emergency 911 calls are down in Washington, D.C., despite the pandemic, said D.C. Office of Unified Communications Director Karima Holmes on FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s podcast released Wednesday. Calls from people who are sick may go up, but other kinds of calls are decreasing with people staying home, she said. Nationwide, calls to 911 surged in COVID-19 hot spots but are low elsewhere (see 2004130032). The district hasn’t had a drop in staffing, Holmes said. She and Rosenworcel supported the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act. HR-1629/S-1015 would change the federal government's classification of public safety call takers and dispatchers to "protective service occupations” (see 2002120051).
The FCC should join attorneys general from 27 states and territories urging the telecom industry to make further commitments to protect consumers during the public health crisis, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) said Wednesday. Add another 90 days to the 60-day Keep Americans Connected pledge, said California, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and other AGs of both parties in a letter to Chairman Ajit Pai. Telecom companies should give customers fair payment plans for bills accumulated during the emergency, reconnect disconnected customers for at least 90 days with no fees, expand data caps and waive wireless overage charges for at least 90 days, and educate customers about COVID-19 services and scams, the AGs said. The FCC didn’t comment.
The FTC postponed its workshop on the safeguards rule until July 13 and moved it online. It was originally scheduled for May 13 (see 2004200062). Also in a 5-0 vote, commissioners delayed by about two months the comment deadline to Aug. 12.
The FCC waived excluding entities delinquent in FCC debt from participation in the COVID-19 telehealth fund "to facilitate prompt review and processing of the maximum number of applications," said a public notice Tuesday. The agency announced $3.71 million in funding for five hospitals and other healthcare providers, in California, Florida, Michigan, New York and Ohio.
The American Antitrust Institute's June 17 annual conference, which was to be in Washington, instead will be done via four-part podcast due to the pandemic, it said Monday. AIA said the podcast episodes will be available later this spring.
Citing the global pandemic, Dish Network said Tuesday that its May 1 annual shareholder meeting will be done virtually.
The Consumer Bankers Association told the FCC the need for action is growing on its March petition seeking clarification that banks, credit unions and financial service providers can use automatic telephone dialing systems, prerecorded messages and artificial voice for COVID-19 calls (see 2004060009). The filing was posted Monday in docket 02-278.
WOW CEO Teresa Elder, who was temporarily hospitalized with COVID-19 (see 2003300002), returned to work and resumed her CEO duties, the company told the SEC Monday.