The National Association of Chain Drug Stores sought clarification of a March 20 FCC Consumer Affairs Bureau ruling on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and public health communications during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2003200074). The group sought clarity that the ruling “applies to calls and texts related to COVID-19 vaccines, when available, as well as flu vaccines, during the pandemic” in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 02-278.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers shopped more online during the pandemic, a healthinsurance.com survey found. The healthcare shopping website canvassed 1,600 online Aug. 6-7, finding 76% of millennials and 73% of Gen Xers used e-commerce more during lockdown. The prevalence of increased online shopping was lowest among baby boomers at 67%. The vast majority of consumers spend more time on their phones and computers. Increased tech use is higher among Gen Xers (75%) and millennials (74%) than boomers (65%). Americans 61%-39% say they need a “digital detox." The sentiment was strongest among boomers (78%), less so with millennials (51%). Gen Xers alone shunned the idea. Apple Watch is the wearable of choice among 25% of consumers, Fitbit at 23%. Consumers are evenly split between those who used telemedicine services during COVID-19 and those who didn’t. Americans by a 60% majority feel “more comfortable” about using telemedicine now than they were six months ago, and 54% plan to continue using it after the pandemic. Twenty-eight percent of consumers who binge-watch content prefer doing so on a nondescript smart TV over a Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

People who think students in their households “mostly or entirely” will attend classes remotely is 28%, and 27% think students will do so in-person this fall, reported the National Retail Federation Monday. The association canvassed 7,600 consumers Aug. 3-11, finding about a third expect an “equal mix” of in-person and e-learning, it said. The survey found 63% of consumers expect at least some school and college classes will take place online this year, up from 55% from early July. The proportion planning to buy laptops for remote learning was virtually unchanged at 37%; intentions to buy computing accessories increased to 26% from 21%. Twenty-three percent plan to buy desks or chairs to furnish home classrooms, up from 17% in July.

The FCC Wireline Bureau again extended waivers of Lifeline recertification, reverification, general de-enrollment, documentation and usage requirements for rural areas on tribal lands because of COVID-19, this time until Nov. 30, said an order in docket 11-42 Monday. After the previous extension, waivers were to expire Aug. 31 (see 2006010027). “We will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether any additional extension of these waivers is appropriate,” the new order said.

Smart appliance shipments will grow at a 48% compound annual growth rate through 2024 to 148.5 million units, Futuresource emailed Sunday, but supply chains and consumer demand across appliances will be “significantly impacted” in coming years due to COVID-19. Though more manufacturers are adding Wi-Fi connectivity, consumers are more likely to buy an older, more familiar model than a new, smart and expensive model when shopping online. More purchases will happen online because of self-isolation and quarantining measures as consumers typically prefer to "touch and feel" an appliance before making a purchase. “As a global recession moves from being a possibility to a probability, reduced disposable incomes as a result of massive unemployment, wage cuts and business failures, will likely lead to an increase in sales of low-to-medium priced products in developed markets, and a reduction in premium products, including smart devices,” it said.

The Progressive Policy Institute touted support Monday from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, for the group’s white paper with Americans for Prosperity urging Congress make permanent its temporary lifting of some telehealth restrictions during the pandemic. Lawmakers lifted some limits on telehealth eligibility for Medicare in March via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and other laws (see 2003250046). “In light of the experience of the past few months, and the benefit to patients, it would be exceedingly odd to go back to the pre-Covid status quo,” the paper said. “Consensus seems to be forming in favor of making those gains permanent.” AFP and PPI urged Congress to continue allowing Medicare recipients to use telehealth outside of rural areas and at home, and to allow providers to deliver such services to current and new Medicare patients. The groups also urged additional broadband funding to boost telehealth availability. “It is refreshing to see two groups with such different perspectives come together to support greater access to telehealth,” Wicker said in a PPI news release. When Schatz “and I started our telehealth working group years ago, we chose to work on bipartisan policy that would improve access to health care and save lives. We will continue to work together to ensure Americans can enjoy the benefits of telehealth for years to come.” Telehealth "is a rare area with strong bipartisan support and it’s here to stay,” Schatz said: “While we have made some progress in Congress on expanding access to telehealth during this pandemic, we have more work to do to make these changes permanent and allow more patients" to take part.

Industry should continue providing “meaningful information” to consumers about video game loot boxes and microtransactions, FTC staff reported. The agency issued the paper Friday in response to an August 2019 workshop (see 1908070065). COVID-19 has increased video gameplay, which potentially amplifies loot box concerns, staff said, namely whether the practice prompts compulsive behavior: “The FTC will continue to monitor developments surrounding loot boxes and take appropriate steps to prevent unfair or deceptive practices.” The agency noted recent self-regulation efforts “through odds and point-of-purchase disclosures.”

The “digital world” of telework and remote learning is more important during the pandemic, but 98% of websites have “critical accessibility barriers,” said AudioEye Executive Chairman Carr Bettis on a quarterly call Thursday. The company markets website accessibility tools for the vision-impaired. Though demand “remains very strong,” COVID-19 is impacting customers and prospects “across all our channels,” said Bettis. New business deals are being “delayed a little,” and AudioEye imposed “more flexible pricing and other options," he said. The “marginal” decrease in renewals is from factors “out of our control, such as bankruptcy proceedings or outright business closures,” he said. The pandemic is impacting businesses worldwide, “even more so” in Q2, Bettis said. “It's going to be reasonable to expect some impact on AudioEye's financial and operating performance.” The company also reshuffled management (see personals section, this issue).

Six gateway providers complied “within 48 hours” of receiving letters from the FCC and FTC in April and May demanding they cut traffic allowing COVID-19-related scam robocalls originating outside the country into the U.S. (see 2005200053), FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in letters to Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Tom Carper, D-Del., released Thursday. Hassan and Carper wrote in June urging the FCC, DOJ and IRS to “aggressively” crack down (see 2006260067). The USTelecom Industry Traceback Group confirms Connexum, IntelePeer Cloud Communications, PTGi International Carrier Services, RSCom, SipJoin and VoIP Terminator/BL “continue to be in compliance,” Pai said. “We will continue to monitor these and other gateway providers to stop illegal international robocalls before they reach consumers.” Those efforts “could be one reason that there has been a notable decrease in robocall complaints filed both at the FCC and FTC in recent months,” he said. He said the FTC reports robocall complaints decreased 68% in April 2020 from April 2019, with a 60% drop in complaints in May. Pai noted the senators’ concerns about DOJ’s recent inability to collect more than a token amount of FCC-levied fines against robocallers, saying the commission lacks "authority to force entities to pay the fines levied in a Forfeiture Order. When an entity does not pay, we must refer the case to the Justice Department for collection."

Staples unveiled a “Working Well” campaign, positioning itself as the pandemic’s “move-forward resource for everything from social distancing in the workplace to productive Zoom calls at home.” It’s marketing common items like gloves, masks and hand sanitizer for a safe return to the physical office, plus clear partitions, air filtration products, and signs and social-distancing markers.