Crosscut Strategies hires Charlie Meisch, ex-SKDKnickerbocker and ex-FCC, as senior vice president; Simon Brown, from Small Business Majority, as director; and Caitlin Krutsick, Bipartisan Policy Center, as account specialist; promotes Courtney Lamie to chief operating officer ... In closing buy of Tribune (see 1909200048), Nexstar appoints from there as executive vice presidents Sean Compton, for WGN America and WGN Radio, also director-content acquisition; Dana Zimmer, also chief distribution and strategy officer; and Gary Weitman, chief communications officer.

AT&T supports a 3-meter standard vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for indoor wireless calls to 911 but technological challenges remain. The FCC got varying advice in initial comments (see 1905210061) and replies show little movement toward consensus. Replies were due FCC Tuesday in docket 07-114 and most posted Wednesday.

The FCC likely won’t move forward quickly to impose rules requiring carriers meet a new vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for indoor wireless calls to 911, industry officials said Tuesday. Monday, APCO said the FCC should drop plans to impose the metric and focus instead on dispatchable location solutions (see 1905200025). But there was no common thread to public safety comments. Other first responders said requiring a 3-meter metric will help. Comments were posted through Tuesday in docket 07-114.

With scattered holes in enhanced 911 coverage around the U.S. slowly getting filled in, there's no consensus on when or if the U.S. ever will get universal coverage. Experts told us the issue could be mooted by next-generation 911 systems, though many communities without E-911 still are working toward that less-advanced goal. For a Special Report story on NG-911's rollout in New Jersey (see 1904230021).

With scattered holes in enhanced 911 coverage around the U.S. slowly getting filled in, there's no consensus on when or if the U.S. ever will get universal coverage. Experts told us the issue could be mooted by next-generation 911 systems, though many communities without E-911 still are working toward that less-advanced goal. For a Special Report story on NG-911's rollout in New Jersey (see 1904230021).

The FCC will investigate the nationwide CenturyLink outage that disrupted 911 service for many Americans, Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday. At our deadline, the carrier was still working to resolve the multistate outage that began Thursday (see 1812270050). The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) said the outage shows urgent need to fully deploy next-generation 911. NARUC and state consumer advocates applauded FCC action.

States diverted nearly 10 percent of $2.9 billion in 911 fee revenue for unrelated purposes in 2017, the FCC reported Wednesday. For the first time, every jurisdiction responded for this year’s report, so some exact comparisons may not be possible. The FCC flagged Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands as responsible for the $285 million in diverted revenue.

A surge in FCC ex parte meetings about access to national outage data in the network outage reporting system (NORS) and disaster information reporting system (DIRS) may foreshadow commission action in the near future, said parties to docket 15-80. States and others seek access, but the telecom industry is raising confidentiality concerns (see 1811060036). Multiple stakeholders that have talked with the FCC said the bureau is asking for input and meetings, but it's not clear what, if anything, Chairman Ajit Pai wants to do on the issue or when. The impetus for those meetings isn't clear, we were told.

Carriers and public safety groups disagreed on next steps for assuring the vertical accuracy (z-axis) of wireless calls to 911. CTIA said more time and testing is needed, but public safety groups urged the FCC to get tough. In September, the Public Safety Bureau sought comment on a z-axis test bed report submitted by CTIA on behalf of the nationwide carriers. Replies were due Thursday. The FCC approved an order 5-0 in January 2015 requiring carriers to improve their performance in identifying the location of wireless calls to 911 (see 1501290066). Then-Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said at the time the FCC wasn't being tough enough.

It’s premature for the FCC to adopt a Z-axis metric for accurate vertical location of wireless calls, commented CTIA and the National Emergency Number Association this week on an August report by carriers in docket 07-114 (see 1809100037). “Rather than adopting ±5 meters as the Z-Axis metric, we suggest that further testing is a better course to advance vertical location solutions that will help to provide ‘floor level’ accuracy,” CTIA commented. NENA agreed the FCC should delay adopting a Z-axis metric until a more accurate one can be validated and supported by test results: “Assuming a modest extension of the Commission’s deadline is possible, NENA hopes that the Test Bed will recognize the exceptional circumstances and allow the additional Stage Z testing to occur as quickly as is practicable for the involved parties.” Citizens and public safety need a z-axis accuracy benchmark of plus-or-minus 3 meters, NENA said. Carriers’ proposal for 5-meter metric “fails the American public and the dedicated public safety professionals who need actionable, accurate location information to find 9-1-1 callers during emergencies,” APCO commented. The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council agreed: “A vertical z-axis metric providing floor level accuracy is needed and can be accomplished with available technology, especially within the generous implementation timeframe established in the rules adopted in 2015.” NextNav technology can achieve accuracy within 2 meters, said NextNav and the Boulder Regional Emergency Telephone Service Authority. NextNav supported a 3-meter metric, while BRETSA said it should be 2 meters.