The COVID-19 pandemic shows the critical need for internet access, said state broadband officials on a Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition webinar Tuesday. “When we get through this, the silver lining for me will be if we’ve identified where we need broadband, how we’re going to fund that broadband and set a national and state strategic plan to getting there,” said Colorado Broadband Office Director-Federal Broadband Engagement Teresa Ferguson. The coronavirus “has brought home the point many of us have been trying to make for years” that broadband must be a priority, she said: “It is not enough just to fund to the anchor institutions,” but to go “through to the home.” Tennessee “will continue to focus on funding the deployment of infrastructure as well as digital literacy and adoption,” said Department of Economic and Community Development Broadband Director Crystal Ivey. Many states with broadband funding lack dedicated digital literacy support, so Ivey will watch whether the pandemic affects the amount of funding dedicated to increasing adoption, she said. “We’ve known the importance of connectivity for our communities, but as more of us are being asked to stay home from work and school, the issue is being elevated even further.” With so many working at home, broadband’s importance is “really becoming increasingly evident” (see 2002270006), said Pew Broadband Research Initiative Officer Anna Read.

Zoom claims the right to collect personal data, including videos and transcripts, and share it with third parties, Consumer Reports Senior Editor-Privacy Allen St. John blogged Tuesday. St. John raised the concerns in light of increased use of the video-conferencing service due to COVID-19. People aren’t expecting the information to be shared when they conference for therapy appointments, business meetings and job interviews, he said. The company didn’t comment.

DOJ and the FTC will provide expedited antitrust review and guidance for COVID-19 public health ventures, the agencies announced Tuesday. Businesses may need to combine production to provide resources in the pandemic, the agencies said. Expedited procedures will allow the agencies to respond within seven days to all COVID-19-related requests addressing public health and safety, the agencies said. This quicker turnaround is “designed to provide guidance to businesses concerned about the legality of proposed conduct under the antitrust laws,” the agencies said. The FTC is committed to “doing everything we can to help with these efforts, while continuing to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws,” Chairman Joe Simons said. DOJ said the agencies will hold accountable any entities using the pandemic to engage in antitrust violations, citing price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation. The FTC and DOJ also committed to expedite National Cooperative Research and Production Act requests for “flexible treatment of certain standard development organizations and joint ventures.”