Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, introduced legislation Thursday allowing direct dialing to 911. “The bill I introduced today would ensure that anyone who dials 9-1-1 can reach emergency personnel even if the phone typically requires that user to dial ‘9’ to get an outside line,” Gohmert said in a statement. “When we learned this could be easily done with very little if any expense at all, we knew this bill had to become a reality.” He posted a copy of the bill text. “All consumers should be able to dial three numbers, and only three numbers -- 9-1-1 -- to receive help in emergency situations,” said NG9-1-1 Institute Executive Director Patrick Halley. “The NG9-1-1 Institute appreciates Rep. Gohmert’s leadership in recognizing the importance of ensuring direct access to 9-1-1 for all callers, including users of multi-line telephone systems. Too many lives are lost when that is not the case.” FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai lauded the introduction and praised Gohmert for "working to ensure that calls to 911 always go through."
Consumer advocates, CLECs and others urged the FCC to implement and even augment proposals to codify specific standards for discontinuance of copper-based telecom services as industry shifts to IP-based services over fiber networks. ILECs said the proposed criteria would hinder the transition to IP/fiber systems that already was far along without regulatory mandates. “An air of unreality pervades this proceeding,” said AT&T, which called charges of ILEC bottleneck control "patently absurd." The parties filed reply comments on the commission’s technology transitions Further NPRM, most of which were posted Tuesday and Wednesday (for further filings, see docket 13-5).
House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., introduced the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act Monday, which his office is also calling the SANDy Act. “During the storm and for weeks afterwards, many of us were left stranded, with no way to reach friends, to call loved ones, or even to call for help,” Pallone said in a statement. “That is simply unacceptable. So today I am introducing the SANDy Act to ensure we can all communicate, even when the worst occurs.” The bill would ensure that people can call on other carriers’ networks if their own networks fail and that providers of radio, TV and phone service can remedy outages more easily across state borders, enhance coordination among carriers, utilities and public safety, kickstart a way to deliver 911 aid via Wi-Fi hotspots and begin studying future network resiliency challenges, according to Pallone’s office. APCO backs the bill. “As crafted, it contains a number of provisions that would be helpful to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) facing future large-scale disasters, and would generally lead to improvements in emergency communications in such situations,” said Derek Poarch, executive director of APCO International. A Pallone spokesman didn't provide the bill text or information about co-sponsors Monday.
L-3 Communications hires Christopher Kubasik, ex-Seabury Advisory Group, as president-chief operating officer, new position ... Spectrum Equity, investor in Internet, software and information services companies, hires Brian Regan, leaving Shutterfly, as managing director-chief financial officer ... Hearst Television's WAPT Jackson, Mississippi, President-General Manager Stuart Kellogg retiring, effective at year's end ... Software company Synopsys hires cybersecurity expert Howard Schmidt, also of Ridge-Schmidt Cyber, as security adviser, new position ... American Intellectual Property Law Association 2015-16 board includes: Denise DeFranco, Finnegan Henderson, president; Mark Whitaker, Baker Botts, president-elect; Myra McCormack, Johnson & Johnson, first vice president; Sheldon Klein, Gray Plant, second vice president; David Ruschke, Medtronic, secretary; and John Hornickel, PolyOne, treasurer; newly elected regular board members are Gregory Allen, 3M Innovative Properties, Monica Barone, Qualcomm, James Hallenbeck, Schwegman Lundberg, and Thomas Moga, LeClairRyan ... Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute elects to board Catherine Bishop, OnStar, Daryl Branson, Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center, and Rebecca Murphy Thompson, Competitive Carriers Association.
Incumbent telcos opposed the FCC's tech transition proposals for assessing the adequacy of IP-based services intended to replace legacy copper-based phone services being discontinued. They said the commission’s proposed standards could slow the IP transition and broadband deployment, with AT&T suggesting it would be unlawful. Rural carriers asked the agency to clarify that they were covered by a rural exemption. But competitors, consumer groups, public safety groups, state regulators, electric power groups and others voiced varying degrees of support for proposed criteria, and some suggested additional criteria, including on affordability.
FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly asked the Federal Transit Administration to step in to make sure riders on the Washington Metrorail system can make calls on their cellphones while in the system. The Department of Transportation in an Oct. 9 letter assumed direct control over safety on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority rail system.
Comments are due Oct. 26, replies Nov. 24, in the FCC's latest IP transition rulemaking, the Wireline Bureau said in a public notice posted Friday in docket 13-5. The Federal Register published a summary of the agency's Further NPRM Friday, triggering 30-day and 60-day comment and reply deadlines. The commission adopted the further notice and an accompanying IP/fiber transition order Aug. 6, and it released the 179-page text of the item Aug. 7 in which it proposed to codify general telecom service discontinuance standards under Section 214 of the Communications Act (see 1508060044 and 1508100019). The FCC specifically sought comment on its tentative conclusions that the criteria should include, among other things: “(1) network capacity and reliability; (2) service quality; (3) device and service interoperability, including interoperability with vital third-party services (through existing or new devices); (4) service for individuals with disabilities, including compatibility with assistive technologies; (5) PSAP and 9-1-1 service; (6) cybersecurity; (7) service functionality; and (8) coverage.”
The NG9-1-1 Institute said it's seeking candidates for open positions on its board. Nominations are due Sept. 16. Six positions are open -- one education professional, one representative of a small telecom carrier/company, two representatives of vendor/integrator/software companies, one representative at large and one representative at large representing public safety/public health. “The Institute shares and enhances the mission of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus to promote education regarding and the advancement of emergency services nationwide,” the group said. New board members are to be seated Oct. 21.
Staffers on Capitol Hill foresee a tall order in the 911 legislative recommendations that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler laid out last week at APCO’s conference (see 1508190056), which aren't yet manifested in any package or set for the fall agenda to anyone’s knowledge. Several Hill staffers weren't familiar with outreach from the FCC on the legislative package that Wheeler described, which he said would be critical for the implementation of Next-Generation 911 and should factor into the congressional calendar in future months. Former FCC officials agreed the issues deserve serious and expedient Hill attention.
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs and Public Safety bureaus' joint workshop Aug. 27 on promoting wider accessibility and increased use of the emergency alert system (EAS) (see 1508040030) will have three sessions, hear from Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson, and include state and local officials, the FCC said in a public notice. The workshop will include a panel on ways to improve alert accessibility, such as synchronizing EAS audio and visual crawls, with Christian Vogler, director of Gallaudet University's Technology Access Program; Lillian McDonald, managing director of Twin Cities Public Television/Echo Minnesota Partnership; Charles McCobb, a program manager of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS); and Zainab Alkebsi, policy counsel at the National Association of the Deaf. A panel on promoting EAS use will be Jay English, APCO director-Comm Center & 9-1-1 services; Wade Witmer, IPAWS deputy director; Steve Souder, director of Fairfax County, Virginia's Department of Public Safety Communications; and Suzanne Goucher, Maine Association of Broadcasters CEO. The 1 to 4:30 p.m. workshop will be in the commission meeting room and streamed live at the FCC website. To register: John Evanoff, Public Safety Bureau attorney, at john.evanoff@fcc.gov or 202-418-0848.