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                                                                                                  business Wednesday 19 January 2022
             Airlines renew warnings of travel disruption from 5G rollout



            By DAVID KOENIG                                                                                                     ernment  auction  run  by
            AP Airlines Writer                                                                                                  the FCC, then spent billions
            The airline industry is raising                                                                                     more to build out new net-
            the  stakes  in  a  showdown                                                                                        works.  In  response  to  con-
            with AT&T and Verizon over                                                                                          cern  by  the  airlines,  they
            plans  to  launch  new  5G                                                                                          agreed to delay launching
            wireless  service  this  week,                                                                                      the  service  from  early  De-
            warning  that  thousands  of                                                                                        cember until early January.
            flights  could  be  grounded                                                                                        Late  on  New  Year's  Eve,
            or  delayed  if  the  rollout                                                                                       Buttigieg  and  FAA  Admin-
            takes place near major air-                                                                                         istrator  Stephen  Dickson
            ports.                                                                                                              asked  the  companies  for
            CEOs  of  the  nation's  larg-                                                                                      another  delay,  warning  of
            est airlines say that interfer-                                                                                     "unacceptable  disruption"
            ence from the wireless ser-                                                                                         to air service.
            vice on a key instrument on                                                                                         AT&T  CEO  John  Stankey
            planes  is  worse  than  they                                                                                       and  Verizon  CEO  Hans
            originally thought.                                                                                                 Vestberg  rejected  the  re-
            "To  be  blunt,  the  nation's                                                                                      quest  in  a  letter  that  had
            commerce  will  grind  to  a                                                                                        a  scolding,  even  mocking
            halt"  unless  the  service  is                                                                                     tone. But they had second
            blocked  near  major  air-   other countries.             gers would be subjected to  The airline industry and the  thoughts  after  intervention
            ports,  the  CEOs  said  in  a  However,  the  CEOs  of  10  cancellations, diversions or  FAA  say  that  they  have  that  reached  the  White
            letter  Monday  to  federal  passenger  and  cargo  air-  delays," the CEOs said.      tried to raise alarms about  House. They agreed to the
            officials including Transpor-  lines  including  American,  The  airline  CEOs  asked  potential interference from  second,  shorter  delay  but
            tation  Secretary  Pete  But-  Delta,  United  and  South-  that the new 5G be barred  5G  C-Band  but  the  FCC  implied  that  there  would
            tigieg,  who  has  previously  west  say  that  5G  will  be  within  two  miles  of  airport  has ignored them.    be no more compromises.
            taken  the  airlines'  side  in  more  disruptive  than  they  runways.                The telecoms, the FCC and  That  was  followed  by  a
            the matter.                  originally thought because  AT&T and Verizon declined  their supporters argue that  deal in which the telecoms
            AT&T  and  Verizon  plan  to  dozens of large airports that  to comment. A trade group  C-Band  and  aircraft  altim-  agreed to reduce the pow-
            activate their new 5G wire-  were to have buffer zones  for  the  telecom  industry,  eters  operate  far  enough  er of their networks near 50
            less  service  Wednesday  to prevent 5G interference  CTIA,  did  not  immediately  apart  on  the  radio  spec-    airports for six months. In ex-
            after  two  previous  delays  with aircraft will still be sub-  respond  to  a  request  for  trum to avoid interference.  change,  the  FAA  and  the
            from the original plan for an  ject to flight restrictions an-  comment.               They also say that the avi-  Transportation Department
            early December rollout.      nounced last week by the  The  showdown  between  ation  industry  has  known  promised not to further op-
            The  new  high-speed  5G  Federal  Aviation  Adminis-     two industries and their rival  about  C-Band  technology  pose  the  rollout  of  5G  C-
            service  uses  a  segment  of  tration. They add that those  regulators  —  the  FAA  and  for  several  years  but  did  Band.
            the  radio  spectrum  that  is  restrictions won't be limited  the  Federal  Communica-  nothing  to  prepare  —  air-  President Joe Biden praised
            close  to  that  used  by  al-  to  times  when  visibility  is  tions  Commission,  which  lines chose not to upgrade  the  deal,  but  the  airlines
            timeters, which are devices  poor."Unless our major hubs  oversees  radio  spectrum  altimeters  that  might  be  weren't  satisfied  with  the
            that measure the height of  are cleared to fly, the vast  — now threatens to further  subject  to  interference,  agreement, regarding it as
            aircraft above the ground.   majority  of  the  traveling  disrupt  the  aviation  indus-  and  the  FAA  failed  to  be-  a  victory  for  the  telecoms
            AT&T and Verizon say their  and shipping public will es-  try,  which  has  been  ham-  gin  surveying  equipment  that didn't adequately ad-
            equipment will not interfere  sentially  be  grounded.  This  mered  by  the  pandemic  on planes until the last few  dress their concerns about
            with  aircraft  electronics,  means  that  on  a  day  like  for nearly two years.     weeks.  AT&T  and  Verizon  trying to land planes at air-
            and that the technology is  yesterday, more than 1,100  This  was  a  crisis  that  was  spent  billions  of  dollars  for  ports  where  the  new  ser-
            being  safely  used  in  many  flights and 100,000 passen-  years in the making.       C-Band spectrum in a gov-    vice would be active.q

            Microsoft buys game maker Activision Blizzard for about $70B



            By MATT O'BRIEN              If the deal survives scrutiny  tivision Blizzard to drive for-
            Associated Press             from  U.S.  and  European  ward  on  its"  commitments
            Microsoft  is  paying  nearly  regulators  in  the  coming  to  improve  its  workplace
            $70 billion for Activision Bliz-  months,  it  also  could  be  culture. Activision disclosed
            zard,  the  maker  of  Candy  one  of  the  biggest  tech  last  year  it  was  being  in-
            Crush and Call of Duty, as it  acquisitions   in   history.  vestigated  by  the  Securi-
            seeks an edge in the fierce-  Dell  bought  data-storage  ties  and  Exchange  Com-
            ly competitive businesses of  company  EMC  in  2016  for  mission  over  complaints  of
            mobile gaming and virtual-   around $60 billion.          workplace  discrimination.
            reality technology.          Activision  has  been  buf-  That  was  after  California
            The  all-cash  $68.7  billion  feted  for  months  by  alle-  sued  the  Santa  Monica-
            deal  will  turn  Microsoft,  gations of misconduct and  based company in July, cit-
            maker  of  the  Xbox  gam-   unequal pay, and that was  ing a "frat boy" culture that
            ing system, into one of the  addressed  Tuesday  by  Mi-  had  become  "a  breed-
            world's largest video game  crosoft CEO Satya Nadella  ing  ground  for  harassment  driving  efforts  to  further  shares  soared  27%  in  early
            companies  and  help  it  in  a  conference  call  with  and  discrimination  against  strengthen  the  company's  trading  Tuesday,  making
            compete  with  tech  rivals  investors.                   women."                      culture  and  accelerate  up  for losses  over the past
            such  as  Meta,  formerly  "The  culture  of  our  organi-  Activision   CEO   Bobby  business growth.              six months since California's
            Facebook,  in  creating  im-  zation  is  my  number  one  Kotick  will  retain  his  role,  Wall  Street  saw  the  acqui-  discrimination  lawsuit  was
            mersive  virtual  worlds  for  priority," Nadella said, add-  and  he  and  his  team  will  sition  as  a  big  win  for  Ac-  filed.  Shares  of  Microsoft
            both work and play.          ing that "it's critical for Ac-  maintain  their  focus  on  tivision  Blizzard  Inc.  and  slipped less than 1%. q
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