The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) stressed Fri. it opposed any delay in the FCC mandate for wireless service providers using an E911 handset-based solution. NENA Thurs. released the findings of a Strategic Wireless Action Team (SWAT) effort in which private sector, govt. and public safety officials examined E911 implementation (CD Feb 6 p6). Among the findings, the report recommended that performance requirements for wireless carriers focus on “near-term handset and network cell site activation” goals. It said FCC enforcement should prevent “unintended consequences” such as forced handset replacement. In a joint statement, NENA Pres. Richard Taylor and SWAT Chmn. John Melcher said Fri. that NENA opposed any delay in FCC deadlines for providers using a handset-based solutions. “NENA continues to support current FCC rules and regulations as written,” they said. They cited pending House and Senate bills that would provide additional money and accountability measures to ensure that E911 was rolled out as quickly as possible. Handset replacement has been a particularly important issue for Nextel, which last year called on the FCC to lift its Dec. 31, 2005, deadline for wireless handsets to be Phase 2 capable as long as interim benchmark dates for handset deployment were met.

Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron warned Fri. that “premature regulations could kill the nascent VoIP industry.” Speaking at a policy lunch sponsored by the Progress & Freedom Foundation in Washington, Citron said regulations could slow broadband deployment, undermine the U.S. position as a technological leader and force service providers offshore. He urged legislators to “bring clarity to the VoIP regulatory framework to protect competition. New laws are needed to ensure Internet applications remain free from regulation.”

Only 1/2 of all public safety answering points (PSAPs) will be able to pinpoint wireless callers with the precision of Enhanced 911 Phase 2 by 2005, the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) said in findings announced Thurs. NENA’s Strategic Wireless Action Team (SWAT) wrapped up a year-long effort by private sector, govt. and public safety officials to examine E911 implementation. But disagreements over some findings indicate rifts on issues such as carrier cost recovery, state coordination and federal funding.

AT&T said it had signed an agreement with Intrado, a provider of 911 infrastructure, systems and services, to develop an emergency calling solution for its residential broadband VoIP service. The feature, which would allow AT&T to route 911 dialed calls from its IP network to public safety answering points but wouldn’t be able to identify a caller’s location, will be available in spring when AT&T will begin to provide residential VoIP service in select metropolitan markets. “It’s not an absolute solution, it’s an interim step,” an AT&T spokesman said. He said AT&T would continue to work with Intrado and the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) to “upgrade 911 technology. The ultimate goal is to have no difference” between the regular 911 services and the ones provided by VoIP.

The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) told the FCC it backed a request by BellSouth for more time to comment on a further notice involving wireline-to-wireless local number portability (LNP). BellSouth recently asked the FCC to extend the comment deadline a month to Jan. 30, citing the holidays and a N. American Numbering Council meeting set for mid-Jan. NENA said it wanted to identify technical problems and solutions involving porting that crossed wire telephone rate center boundaries. “Because any conclusions reached and recommendations offered must be approved by a technical committee structure that brings to bear data transfer and networking, among other perspectives, these multiple reviews would be difficult to complete by the Dec. 30 date falling between Christmas and New Year’s,” NENA said.

More than 10 voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) providers led by the Voice on the Net (VON) Coalition are getting together to create an unprecedented group to encourage a public policy that refrains from applying traditional telecom regulation to Internet voice communications. The ad hoc coalition, expected to be announced formally before the end of the year, will try to form voluntary agreements on some key common carrier obligations, such as universal service, E911, disability access and law enforcement monitoring of VoIP calls. “These legitimate concerns can be addressed without imposing heavy regulation on VoIP and… if they are addressed successfully the political pressure to regulate VoIP will dissipate,” said VON Coalition Chmn. Tom Evslin, who represents the ad hoc group.

FCC Chmn. Powell gave early indications of his thinking about a regulatory regime for Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) Mon., saying he saw consensus that the service might be deemed “interstate” in nature and that concerns about VoIP were focused on 4 or 5 discrete issues. His comments to reporters came after an FCC forum on VoIP that featured industry leaders, state public utility commissioners and others.

The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) praised the Senate for adopting a provision in the agriculture appropriations bill that would improve low interest loans for rural 911 services. The Senate adopted the agriculture bill Nov. 9 and the bill awaits a conference with the House (CD Nov 10 p11).

Supporters of Enhanced 911 (E911) legislation hailed a General Accounting Office (GAO) report released Wed. that said E911 implementation was hindered by a lack of funding and coordination. The report said wireless carriers, states and localities would need to devote as much as $8 billion over the next 5 years to deploy E911. It said the FCC and Transportation Dept. (DoT) were involved in promoting E911, “but their authority in overseeing its deployment is limited because public service answering points (PSAPs) traditionally fall under state and local jurisdiction.” The report found weaknesses in a DoT database that tracked E911 implementation, saying the database didn’t differentiate between PSAPs that needed upgrades and those that didn’t, which limited its usefulness in accessing progress toward full implementation. The database shows that 65% of PSAPs had deployed Phase 1 E911, but only 18% had Phase 2 E911, the report said. A GAO survey showed 24 states said they would have Phase 2 implemented by 2005, while others said it would be beyond 2005 or they were unable to estimate when Phase 2 would be completed. Senate Communications Subcommittee Chmn. Burns (R-Mont.), who requested the report, praised its finding that more coordination was needed between DoT, PSAPs and the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA). Burns introduced E911 legislation (S-1250) that would devote $500 million per year toward E911 Phase 2 implementation. NENA also praised the report, Pres. Richard Taylor saying it “should put to rest any doubts about the need for this legislation.” The House passed the E911 bill (HR-2898) on Nov. 4 (CD Nov 5 p1) that allocated $100 million per year for 5 years to E911 deployment.

The House passed Enhanced 911 (HR-2898) legislation Tues. afternoon as supporters turned their attention toward moving an E911 bill through the Senate. The House bill was passed on the suspension calender on voice vote. Sponsor Rep. Shimkus (R-Ill.) told us there would be challenges in getting a bill to President Bush’s desk since there were significant differences in the Senate companion bill, but said getting the House bill passed might streamline the process. “Clearly, we have a wide gap to bridge,” House Commerce Committee spokesman Ken Johnson said: “But considering people’s lives are at stake, Americans want us to get this bill done now.”