TV viewing in the top 25 markets grew 13% from the week of March 9 to the week of March 16 and 33% from the week of March 18, 2019, said Comscore Tuesday. Much higher ratings for local stations during the COVID-19 pandemic are being driven by a broader demographic representation of viewers than is typically observed during news segments, said the research firm: Viewing for the 18-34 segment is up 38% year on year -- 35% for those 35-54 -- through March 22. Seattle and New York had lower than average week-over-week increases vs. the national average when comparing the week of March 16, 2020, with the previous week; the regions were hit “early and hardest” by the coronavirus, Comscore noted. During the week of March 16, viewing increases were most dramatic in San Francisco, Dallas and some Midwest metropolitan areas.

Wireless ISPs peak-hours traffic rose 36% on average, and 83% of the companies added subscribers amid COVID-19, the Wireless ISP Association found. The survey released Friday had 150 responses. The survey found 22% are hiring staff to meet the growth and “87% have the equipment to manage new subscribers, yet some are concerned about eventual equipment shortfalls," WISPA said.

Policymakers should focus on preserving privacy and liberty when addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, while remembering lessons from the 9/11 attacks, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Chair Adam Klein and member Ed Felten wrote. The question isn’t whether new programs are needed, but how to implement them, they wrote Saturday for Politico. They noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s $500 million COVID-19 surveillance and data collection system, and the government’s analysis of cellphone geolocation data via service providers to track and predict the disease’s impact.

FirstNet is assisting New York's COVID-19 response, Jason Porter, AT&T senior vice president, FirstNet, blogged Monday. “Hundreds of ambulances from outside the region have entered the city through mutual-aid efforts,” he said. “We deployed FirstNet portable cell sites and new, temporary in-building solutions."

Governments at all levels should adopt consistent personal movement and work guidelines for information and communications technology workers during COVID-19, some 30 trade associations urged Friday. “Ensure that critical technology service workers can build, maintain and run these technology tools," said Information Technology Industry Council CEO Jason Oxman. Joining were ACT|The App Association, BSA|The Software Alliance, the Software and Information Industry Association and USTelecom, along with others from the U.S. and elsewhere.

NAB and NCTA estimated members' COVID-19 public service announcements were worth about $142 million. NCTA members will run $100 million-plus in PSAs through June, the group said Wednesday. That includes televised, digital and social media spots. The figure remained current Friday, an NCTA spokesperson said. That day, NAB said broadcasters donated $42 million-plus in airtime since a PSA campaign began March 12. More than 175,000 spots aired. Experts called such announcements an effective way to educate people about the pandemic (see 2004030013).

WOW CEO Teresa Elder made "remarkable" progress, and was discharged Wednesday after being hospitalized five days earlier with COVID-19 (see 2003300002), the cable ISP emailed Friday. She's recovering at home. It's unclear when she will return to work.

With Mediacom "stable both operationally and financially," CEO Rocco Commisso Friday said it has no plans for layoffs and it will "continue to provide [its 4,500 workers] with gainful employment, pay and benefits through at least May 31, 2020." The hope is by then, "this pandemic will be over and our business and lives will return to normal," he said.

Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales will grow 24% in 2020 to $17.75 billion, forecast eMarketer Wednesday. It’s the first time the market researcher broke out D2C digitally native brands that started as independent online retailers selling directly to consumers. Estimates exclude travel and event tickets, payments, food or drink services, gambling and other “vice" goods. Brands will face “mounting challenges” from COVID-19, said analyst Oscar Orozco. “Even though consumers are buying more products online due to the coronavirus, digitally native D2C brands should anticipate hardships in the coming months.” Sales will continue to shift from “nice-to-have products to must-have products, with D2C brands falling under the nonessential category,” he added. Disruptions in the supply chain are likely, Orozco said. That will mean slower shipping times, “normally a distinguishing factor for D2C products." Growth rates were already slowing due to other factors, said analyst Andrew Lipsman. The sector is 2.6% of the U.S. e-commerce market, he said.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit oral arguments May 5-8 won't be in person, instead conducted via video or teleconference, submitted on briefs or continued for argument later, the court said Wednesday. The D.C. Circuit said the requirement to file paper copies is deferred for briefs and appendices filed electronically. Sealed material can be filed as a PDF.