AT&T brings DIRECTV GO to Mexico | Telehealth providers get $200M for pandemic fight | Sling Blue will be free to new subscribers for 2 weeks
March 31, 2020
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AT&T introduced its DIRECTV Go streaming service to audiences in Mexico on Tuesday at a time when most people were forced to remain indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The online video service charges $12 a month for its basic 80-channel platform, which serves Latin America.
Full Story: The Hollywood Reporter (3/24) 
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Congress has designated $200 million to enhance telehealth services under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has proposed letting medical facilities use the funds for improved broadband service as well as home devices for patients.
Full Story: CNET (3/30) 
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DISH Network's over-the-top provider Sling TV is offering Sling Blue, which includes a wide variety of news channels, to new subscribers at no charge for two weeks. Sling's earlier "Stay in and Sling" initiative made many other channels, as well as movies, free for all regardless of subscription status.
Full Story: Multichannel News (3/26),  Variety online (3/26),  Advanced Television (free registration) (3/26) 
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FCC frees some 5.9 GHz spectrum for rural internet
(Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
The Federal Communications Commission is lending 45 MHz of 5.9 GHz spectrum to 33 companies that provide internet service through fixed wireless connections. Rural communities are the targets of this spectrum, which the providers will have access to over 60 days.
Full Story: CNET (3/27) 
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Technology, Manufacturing & Trends
Apple launched a new website and COVID-19 symptom screening app in partnership with the CDC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House's Coronavirus Task Force. The screening tools ask users questions about recent exposure, symptoms and risk factors; recommends next steps, including testing if warranted; and does not require an Apple account.
Full Story: CNBC (3/27) 
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Telco Systems brought out the T-Marc R3305 line of multi-service routers and integrated access devices for small and medium-sized businesses and small office/home office customers. The dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 router platforms support LANs, WANs and voice-over-internet protocol connections.
Full Story: FierceTelecom (3/24) 
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Apple might delay its next iPhone launch from its usual fall date, Japan's Nikkei reports. The company's suppliers are worried that consumers who regularly upgrade their iPhones may elect to skip this cycle as they struggle with economic disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic, and that shutdowns in China may cause problems with Apple's supply chain.
Full Story: CNET (3/25),  The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (3/26) 
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For people just getting to know the Zoom system for videoconferencing, Sharon Nelson and John Simek of IT and cybersecurity company Sensei Enterprises have a long-form primer. Among their points: Beware of privacy, because Zoom "collects a lot of data from users about their devices, activities and data shared or transferred."
Full Story: Attorney at Work (3/27) 
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Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
poet, playwright, writer, scientist, statesman, theater director, philosopher
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