Avaya CEO Donald Peterson urged communications network operators and equipment manufacturers Wed. to rethink how they managed telecom resources, emphasizing need to design networks to ensure adequate corporate and national emergency preparedness. Among national security needs that industry should accommodate are Dept. of Defense (DoD) interoperability and compatibility requirements for switches linked to Defense Switch Network (DSN), he said in afternoon keynote at Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Assn. Homeland Security Conference in Washington: “It’s a call to action for your suppliers to answer.”

Senate Commerce Committee will hold hearing on E911 March 5 and hearing in House Commerce Committee is likely to follow, members said at press conference to launch Congressional E-911 Caucus. Caucus is headed by: Senate Commerce Communications Chmn. Burns (R-Mont.), Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.), Rep. Shimkus (R-Ill.), Rep. Eshoo (D-Cal.). Highlighting public safety and homeland security, members said caucus would focus on determining what steps now need to be taken to ensure that E-911, and E-911 services for wireless phones, are deployed nationally. Members cited need for increased cooperation and said different parts of country are providing different challenges for E-911 implementation. In some places, funding for E-911 services has been diverted in some states, members said. Burns said he recognizes financial difficulties in modernizing 911 for enhanced service and wireless. Burns also said other issues will have to be addressed, including privacy. Clinton said caucus was also focused on “getting the word out,” which would help legislators gauge how much funding is needed for localities to implement E-911. National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) task force, called Strategic Wireless Action Team (SWAT), will likely help legislators determine where funding and other action is needed, said Shimkus, who was original sponsor of Wireless Communications and Public Safety Law of 1999, which legislated transition to E-911. Both CTIA and AT&T Wireless applauded launch of caucus. Witness list and time for March 5 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on E-911 hasn’t been announced.

FCC Comr. Martin said Mon. Commission must provide “greater clarity” to Enhanced 911 rules, calling order issued in response to request by Richardson, Tex., on what constituted valid public safety request for E-911 good start. At National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) conference in Washington, Martin outlined role of states, including their need to spend E-911 funds on systems for which they were intended. He also said LECs weren’t explicitly covered in wireless E-911 rules, although FCC had made clear they have to facilitate its rollout. “If the LECs do not live up to their obligations, the Commission will pursue more formal action,” he said.

Dept. of Justice’s National Institute of Justice is conducting research on effectiveness of 311 non-emergency calling programs, said Deborah Daniels, asst. attorney gen.- Office of Justice Programs. Addressing National Emergency Number Assn. conference in Washington Mon., Daniels said Justice had worked with FCC several years ago to have 311 designated as number for nonemergency calls that often flooded traditional 911 lines. Baltimore is first city to implement calling program with that number, she said. “We want to be able to advise you on what will be most likely to help reduce the burden on your 911 systems,” Daniels said of research. Study is near completion and is expected to be published in “near future,” she said. DoJ also is working on problem of 911 callers with limited English proficiency, she said, with Civil Rights Div. developing “best practices” for public safety agencies to respond quickly to such callers. Meanwhile, Jeff Paniati, dir.-office of operations for Transportation Dept.’s (DoT) Federal Highway Administration (FHA), said DoT was interested in E-911 platform for vehicular automatic crash notification systems such as OnStar that would provide information such as injury diagnostics to public safety agencies. FHA is conducting field test to try to identify crash that has occurred, pass that information into public safety answering point and “demonstrate that that information can be seamlessly moved,” Paniati said. Field test involves PSAP, telematics provider and DoT “to explore how to do this,” he said. Research includes areas such as how information collected by vehicle’s telematics system can be used for treatment and emergency response, he said.

NARUC’s telecom and consumer affairs staff subcommittees advanced 6 policy resolutions for consideration by NARUC’s Telecom & Consumer Affairs Committees at group’s winter meeting in Washington, which continues through Wed. They addressed wireless broadband, Internet telephony, spam, consumer education, carrier changeovers, wireless number portability.

Washington officials told FCC’s Public Safety National Coordination Committee (NCC) Fri. that hot spot-based systems such as Wi-Fi wouldn’t be adequate for wireless data needs of their public safety systems. Federal law enforcement and local emergency medical service officials outlined new wireless data applications needed to address security and public safety needs, including biochemical sensors set to operate in some Metro subway stations next month. But D.C. and federal public safety officials pushed need for new spread spectrum technologies, rather than Wi-Fi networks.

NARUC is scheduled to consider telecom policy resolutions at its winter meeting this week in Washington, addressing spam, Internet telephony, emergency spectrum, broadband, universal service and competition. Draft resolutions proposed for adoption would: (1) Call on FCC and FTC to take action against deceptive marketing tactics by mass e-mail advertisers, such as misleading subject lines, false routing information, invalid opt-out provisions. Draft resolution doesn’t take position on no-spam lists that many states are considering, but does urge state commissions to put consumer information about spam on their public Web sites. (2) Ask FCC to reject AT&T petition seeking access charge exemption for voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service because move would throw into turmoil most existing state and federal universal service and intercarrier compensation arrangements. Draft said FCC shouldn’t consider granting AT&T’s request until it first conducted proceeding, through joint conference with states, to throughly examine impacts. (3) Call for more emergency communications spectrum and more state participation in national emergency communication coordination efforts. (4) Ask Congress, FCC and other policymakers to take stances on wireless and landline technology issues that would encourage broadband Internet access. (5) Ask FCC to consider switch to connection-based rather than revenue-based system for universal service assessments, where carriers’ contributions would be based on quantity of phone numbers assigned to end- users and on capacity of private lines in service; benefits would include more efficient use of number supplies. (6) Ask FCC to open rulemaking on establishing minimum requirements for exchange of customers’ account information when they changed carriers, such as which customer data fields must be exchanged and time frames for information exchange between carriers. Meeting runs through Feb. 26.

Software developer RedSky Technologies told FCC in comments that lack of widespread Enhanced 911 deployment in office buildings put tenants at risk. Due to adverse weather in Washington this week, original comment deadline of Tues. for this and other proceedings was extended until Wed. because federal govt. was closed Tues. FCC adopted proposal in Dec., seeking feedback on whether to extend access to emergency services by users of telematics, mobile satellite services and multiline telephone services, which aren’t covered by existing E911 rules. RedSky cited problem of multiline phone systems in office buildings providing only building address to emergency dispatcher, rather than office and floor location of 911 caller. RedSky said that without uniform national policy, E911 readiness by large institutions would “remain spotty and indiscriminate… Our experience in the marketplace is that most organizations would rather take their chances and not be E911 ready than invest additional resources in upgrading and maintaining their phone systems to have E911.” Company estimated that less than 20% of business, schools and public facilities in U.S. had phone system equipped to provide detailed location information about 911 caller’s whereabouts.

New FCC Wireless Bureau Chief John Muleta sees U.S. leadership in global wireless services, economic stimulus of sector and increased emphasis on public safety and homeland security issues as among his initial, broad goals. Muleta took over reins earlier this month from Thomas Sugrue, who had been longest-running bureau chief. In interview with Communications Daily, Muleta outlined broadband potential of wireless services and shift of sector away from emerging technology stage.

Several powerful House members used Telecom Subcommittee hearing Wed. on health of sector as platform to advocate that FCC relax unbundling requirements. Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.), ranking Democrat Dingell (D-Mich.) and Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.) all called for bold action from FCC on unbundling issues, particularly UNE- Ps.