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.

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council warned of recurring concerns about threats to public safety operations posed by LightSquared’s proposed terrestrial service. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, NPSTC said, “Public safety relies on the reception of GPS for wireless 9-1-1 location, dispatch of ‘closest responder’ based on GPS location, mapping/response directions to responders based on GPS, synchronization of simulcast systems across the country based on GPS time signals and a myriad of other mission critical functions.” The group said it has had its own team of public safety officials examining GPS interference issues raised in the LightSquared proceeding.

For the second month in a row, the FCC won’t take on any high-profile issues at its monthly meeting. The agenda for the June 9 open meeting lists four items, none likely to excite much attention (CD May 23 p6). The May meeting’s agenda was similarly light (CD May 13 p 9).

The FCC unanimously (4-0) approved a rulemaking notice during its open meeting Thursday that asks whether and how the commission should apply 911 outage reporting rules to voice over Internet protocol and broadband networks. Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell approved the rulemaking, but concurred, “narrowly,” on the section that asks whether the FCC has the power to mandate data collection. “All Americans rightly expect their calls to go through,” he said, but “we do not have Congress’s authority to act as suggested.”

George Rice, ex-Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, becomes executive director, 9-1-1 Industry Alliance; at APCO, Deputy Executive Director Mark Cannon becomes interim executive director … Bravo Media names Jennifer Geisser , ex-Hallmark Channel, senior vice president, communications … ION Media Networks adds Douglas Holloway, ex-NBC, president-multichannel distribution … Cox Communications promotes Kelly Williams to vice present of wireless product and operations … New TV technology firm BlackArrow adds Don Gordon, ex-Microsoft, as senior vice president-technology.

A wireless signal booster order scheduled for a vote at the FCC’s April 7 meeting could get pulled for further work, after Verizon Wireless, the National Emergency Number Association and APCO raised 911 concerns, agency officials said Tuesday. Verizon Wireless, joined by NENA, flagged a technical concern in rules for acceptable booster design in a series of meetings at the FCC. “Verizon explained that the proposed safeguards relating to automatic gain control and oscillation detection are insufficient to address harmful interference to E-911 network operation and services,” said an ex parte filing. “NENA expressed concern about the threats to public safety from unauthorized and/or improperly installed signal boosters, including harmful interference to commercial users attempting to dial 911 and degrading the performance of E-911 location accuracy technology.” APCO sent the commission a letter Tuesday also raising concerns. “The docket in this proceeding includes evidence that boosters can create dangerous interference to other cellular users (including those who may be trying to dial 9-1-1) and to public safety land mobile operations in adjacent portions of the 800 MHz frequency band,” APCO said.

March 14 FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council meeting, 9 a.m., Commission Meeting Room -- 202-418-1096

Feb. 26-March 1 National Religious Broadcasters convention, with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville -- www.nrbconvention.org