Congress should help upgrade 911 call centers in payroll tax cut extension legislation, said the four House and Senate co-chairs of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. They sent a letter Monday to chairmen of the House-Senate conference working on the extension. Call center language was included in the House spectrum bill and subsequently the House payroll tax cut bill (HR-3630). “In fulfilling the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation for a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders, it only makes sense that we equip 9-1-1 call centers with the same modern tools needed to improve the quality and speed of emergency response,” the 911 caucus co-chairs said.

Research In Motion promotes Thorsten Heins to president-CEO and board member; Former co-Chair and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis becomes vice chair of RIM’s board and chair of the board’s new Innovation Committee; Former co-Chair and co-CEO Jim Balsillie remains a member of the board … Motricity names Richard Stalzer, ex-Education Dynamics, president-mobile marketing and advertising … CBS sportscaster James Brown adds responsibility as senior adviser to Black Heritage Network … New board members at Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute: John Chiaramonte, Booz Allen; Jerry Eisner, RedSky Technologies; Woody Glover, St. Tammany Parish, La.; Todd Piett, Rave Mobile Safety; Art Prest, consultant; Alisa Simmons, Tarrant County, Texas … Maura Cope promoted to vice president, Me-TV Network … Megan Pollock departs CEA to join DKC Public Relations in Washington as vice president, policy communications … Donny Osmond to keynote NAB Show radio luncheon April 17 in Las Vegas.

Small cable operators sought limits on reporting VoIP service outages (CD Nov 23 p6). The American Cable Association discussed how the FCC should apply a threshold that commission staff have floated to require disclosing outages of at least 30 minutes affecting 900,000 user minutes. An ACA executive met with officials in the Public Safety Bureau about a rulemaking notice on broadband service interruptions. A “general VoIP subscriber outage that prevents subscribers from making any outbound calls, including to 9-1-1 calls, that lasts at least 30 minutes and affects 900,000 user minutes” should not need to be reported in as short a period of time as if special 911 facilities were involved, the ACA said. The group said it understood commission staff to say that distinguishing between such general and 911 facility outages isn’t necessary under current Part 4 rules. It said staff suggested that the agency must “ensure that it did not adopt a reporting requirement which did not clearly delineate when VoIP providers must report outages within 4 hours of discovery and when they would be afforded 24 hours after discovery to file their report.” The association’s filing was posted Friday in docket 11-82 (http://xrl.us/bmozib).

The FCC sought comment on a proposed multi-part spectrum deal between Verizon Wireless and Leap Wireless (http://xrl.us/bmkzjw). Under the transaction, Leap would get Verizon’s 700 MHz A-block license for Chicago. Leap would in turn give Verizon Wireless 23 PCS licenses and 13 AWS-1 licenses; disaggregated portions of one PCS license and one AWS-1 license; and partitioned portions of three AWS-1 licenses. In a deal announced Dec. 5, Leap is paying Verizon $204 million for the 12 MHz licensee in a key market while selling Verizon excess spectrum elsewhere for $188 million. “The Applicants state that the assignment of licenses will enable Verizon Wireless to add spectrum capacity in some markets that will help address the rapidly growing demand of its customers for broadband wireless services,” said an FCC public notice. “The Applicants also state that Leap Wireless is in need of the additional spectrum in the Chicago area to expand its service offerings and to deploy LTE network technology, which will allow it to offer improved broadband data services and to continue to compete with other carriers in that market.” Petitions to deny are due at the FCC Dec. 28, oppositions Jan. 9 and replies Jan. 17.

House Democrats will likely offer an amendment to reallocate the 700 MHz D-block when the House Communications Subcommittee marks up spectrum legislation, said Ranking Member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. Eshoo and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., co-chairs of the Congressional E-911 Caucus, also advocated their next-generation 911 bill (HR-2629) during a visit Friday morning to Washington’s 911 call center. The legislators hope their bill to fund NG911 will be included in the comprehensive spectrum bill, Eshoo said.

House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo will seek reelection in 2012, the California Democrat said Monday. First elected to Congress in 1992, she'll run in the recently redrawn 18th district. Eshoo said in a statement that she'll “fight for affordable, reliable broadband and preserving a free and open Internet” and is “committed to providing our first responders with a nationwide, interoperable communications network and improving our 9-1-1 call centers."

LightSquared presents a key early test of the Obama administration’s proposal to reallocate 500 MHz of spectrum to wireless broadband in 10 years. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stressed in a recent briefing for reporters that any decision will be based on engineering analysis and won’t be political (CD Aug 10 p2). LightSquared demonstrates the kinds of difficulties presented by many of the bands regulators hope to convert to broadband use, said industry officials in interviews last week.

There’s no reason to expand telecom outage reporting mandates from traditional phone service to VoIP, broadband and backbone service providers, said all corporate filings to the FCC. There are major differences between outages on public switched telephone networks (PSTN) and on broadband and other newer networks, associations and companies said. But states said such outage reporting is needed, given increasing reliance on VoIP to make calls instead of circuit-switched phone networks, and because Internet networks carry calls to 911. The FCC proposed (http://goo.gl/09KYY), amid concerns of Commissioner Robert McDowell, to extend Part 4 rules to ISPs, backbone services and VoIP for outages of at least a half-hour (CD May 13 p9). Comments were posted Monday and Tuesday in docket 11-82 (http://goo.gl/boqUK).

Next-generation 911 legislation was reintroduced in the House last week by Congressional E-911 Caucus Co-Chairs John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. The bill, only slightly different from HR-4829 in the previous Congress, would upgrade 911 call centers nationwide and toughen penalties for states that divert 911 funds for other purposes. The bill (HR-2629) was referred to the House Commerce Committee. Shimkus said he will work with Commerce Committee and Communications Subcommittee leaders to make “sure our 911 call centers have the necessary technology to offer services the American people expect.” Eshoo said, “As Congress prepares to invest in a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders, it makes sense that we equip 9-1-1 call centers with modern tools … to improve the quality and speed of emergency response."

Herman & Whiteaker law firm opens, focusing on telecom and broadband, with founding principals Dee Herman and Gregory Whiteaker … Lobbyist Registrations: AT&T, Capitol Hill Strategies, effective May 15 … Public Knowledge hires as associates: Clarissa Ramon, ex-Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for outreach and government affairs; and Martyn Griffen, ex-office of former Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark., for government affairs … 9-1-1 Industry Alliance announces board for 2011-2013: Kevin Murray, Mission Critical Partners, chairman; George Heinrichs, Intrado, past chairman; Bill Campbell, Intergraph, vice chairman; Paul Fahey, Cassidian Communications, secretary; Allen Amis, 911 Inc., treasurer … Univision promotes Randy Falco to president and CEO and adds him to board.