Verizon’s use of information from cable operators to lure defecting phone customers back to the Bell broke no FCC number porting rules, the Enforcement Bureau said. In a recommendation to the full commission that was released at 7:45 p.m. Friday and that some found surprising, the bureau said three cable operators had failed to prove that Verizon marketing efforts violated sections 222(a) and (b) of the Communications Act. The provisions define what telecommunications carriers can do with information obtained from competitors. The bureau said it will judge later whether Verizon broke section 201(b) rules on customer retention practices. It asked commissioners to approve a broad notice seeking comment on that question.

BT Group promotes Ian Livingston to CEO, replacing Ben Verwaayen effective June 1… AT&T names John Donovan, ex- VeriSign, chief technology officer… Patrick Sullivan, ex- Kajeet, becomes Telecom Industry Association director- technical and government affairs… Windstream names Clint Highfill, ex-USTelecom, director of federal affairs and legislative counsel.

Telecommunications executives will discuss video and broadband at NAB’s annual show in Las Vegas. USTelecom President Walter McCormick will give an April 14 keynote on “the state of broadband,” the telecom group said Monday. The same day, AT&T’s Dan York, executive vice president of programming, and Verizon’s Terry Denson, vice president of programming and marketing for FiOS TV, also will speak.

News Corp. and Viacom executives are among those who met with FCC officials in March to oppose making cable programmers let pay-TV companies distribute their channels separately and not offer price breaks for multiple channels. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is believed to want to circulate an order in 2008 imposing so-called wholesale a la carte (CD March 30 p2). Thursday, Viacom officials met with an aide to Commissioner Deborah Tate to explain why they believe the agency lacks congressional authority to impose wholesale a la carte. They cited sections 628(b) and 628(c)(2)(B)(iii) of the 1992 Cable Act. “If Congress has not granted the Commission authority to regulate packaged sales and volume- based pricing by vertically integrated cable programmers and broadcasters, then certainly it did not intend for the Commission to regulate the sales practices of independent programmers,” said Viacom’s ex parte. News Corp. executives told an aide to Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein that there’s no proof that rules are needed to force the sale of individual channels to TV sellers. “No party has market power, and the competitive free market works to ensure that programmers and cable systems reach mutually beneficial agreements,” said a News Corp. ex parte. Officials from AT&T, DirecTV, RCN, USTelecom and other members of the Coalition for Competitive Access to Content met with aides to all five FCC members to argue against early termination of a rule, expiring in 2012, preventing cable operators from withholding from other pay-TV companies channels the operators have stakes in.

The FCC removed definitions of broadband from its advanced services report after FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell objected. Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein dissented to the entire report, in which the majority said broadband deployment nationwide is occurring in a “reasonable and timely fashion.” Also at the meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a ban on phone companies signing exclusive contracts in residential multiple tenant environments.

USTelecom debuted a Web site on broadband policy and proclaiming the group “The Broadband Association.” The public shift from voice to broadband is simply “calling it what it is,” USTelecom President Walter McCormick said in an interview. “The future of communications is in broadband,” he said. The phrase “Broadband Association” helps identify USTelecom’s membership and reflects changes in the kinds of companies coming to trade shows and working on policy, he said. USTelecom recently recruited Japan broadband giant NTT as a member. And the entertainment industry is taking an increasing part at USTelecom conferences, McCormick said.

The FCC extended to April 22 the due date for reply comments on a pole attachment rulemaking (CD March 11 p1). The Commission doesn’t “routinely” grant extensions, but in this case found an extension would serve public interest. “The Notice raises numerous and complex issues and… many stakeholders have filed commensurately detailed and closely- argued initial comments,” the FCC said. The extra 15 days “will give parties sufficient time to prepare and file reply comments without significant loss of momentum in addressing the issues.” A number of electric utilities asked for the extension. USTelecom opposed providing more time.

Telecom groups and companies are sounding alarms on broadband data collection proposals as FCC commissioners prepare to vote next week on the subject. Meanwhile, industry sources expect little opposition to a wireline item extending a ban on exclusive contracts with apartment buildings, they said. The FCC agenda for next week’s meeting was released late Wednesday.

USTelecom and CTIA have joined a new business blog, BizCentral.org, that includes Business Roundtable, the American Petroleum Institute and a half-dozen other large business groups. The site represents “capitalists, generally pro-trade, free market folks who create jobs by the millions and power this economy,” it said. The site so far has only a few telecom association posts. CTIA talked about its Feb. 27 testimony at the House Telecom Subcommittee offering support on a proposed wireless consumer protection bill. USTelecom posted that it was pleased to enter the blogosphere.

NBC Universal’s Beth Comstock moves to parent GE as senior vice president-chief marketing officer… Changes at NBC: Salil Mehta assumes oversight of Digital Media team; Mike Pilot adds responsibility for research department; Jeff Gaspin assumes interim oversight of iVillage… Val Oliva, Foundry Networks, elected president of Ethernet Alliance… Jack Monteith, ex- Xspedius Communications, becomes Suddenlink vice president, HR compliance and policy… Genie Barton, ex-FCC Wireless Bureau, joins USTelecom as vice president-general counsel… Embarq interim CEO Tom Gerke becomes permanent, gets board seat… Thomas Wright resigns from Crown Media board… Ian Martinez leaves Telecom Industry Association to move to Philadelphia as out-of-state coordinator for the Obama campaign.