The trade group for Georgia’s payphone owners disagreed with concerns that if the Public Service Commission allows them to use VoIP service for public telephones, the public’s access to 911 may suffer. The Georgia Public Communications Association said use of VoIP at a payphone location raises no more public safety concerns than does use of VoIP at residences. The group said a payphone’s location is fixed, so the VoIP provider should have no problem routing a 911 call from the payphone to the correct public safety answering point. The group wants the PSC to change its payphone access rules to allow payphone owners to use any technically feasible means, including broadband and VoIP, to provide payphone service.

Time Warner Telecom asked the North Carolina Utilities Commission to stop certain Concord Telephone customer retention practices Time Warner called anticompetitive and illegal. The complaint (Case P-1262, Sub 4) alleges that Concord has been abusing the process of lifting carrier-change freezes for the transfer of local service to Time Warner and offering departing customers special promotions not generally available. Time Warner also alleged that Concord’s people incorrectly told departing customers they would lose 911 access upon switching to Time Warner. Time Warner said it’s forced to win the customer twice over with the second time caused by Concord’s unfair and illegal retention effort.

E-911 location issues were the topic of discussion last week as the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the National Association of State 911 Administrators, the Voice On the Net Coalition and CTIA met. “The meeting’s discussions served a significant role in enabling interested parties to assess 911 location technologies so that everyone operates with the same factual information where possible,” the groups said in a written statement. “We hope that this event will jumpstart further discussions.”

The House late Tuesday night passed a 911 bill (HR-3403) that would help VoIP providers give E-911 service to all subscribers. The bill, introduced by Rep. Bart Gordon, D- Tenn., would give immunity to VoIP service providers such as wireless companies now enjoy. The bill would require the FCC to ensure that VoIP providers get access rights to the 911 infrastructure at the same rates and terms as wireless companies. A similar bill (S-428) in the Senate, by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., went onto the calendar in August.

The House unanimously passed a bill (HR-3919) Tuesday to create a map of broadband providers nationwide with the goal of finding areas with little or no service. “This will give us the data we need to construct policies” to increase broadband deployment throughout the country, and help the U.S. become more competitive internationally, said bill sponsor and House Commerce Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey, D-Mass. A separate bill (HR-3403) to promote E-911 service was set to pass Tuesday evening on a roll call vote. HR-3403 had strong bipartisan support during floor debate earlier in the day.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) signed a VoIP deregulation bill that prohibits state agencies from regulating rates and terms of VoIP or other IP-enabled telecom services. But HB-4339 preserves state authority over VoIP with respect to 911, telecom relay service and universal service compliance. The law won’t affect state regulation of circuit-switched telephone or cable TV services that may also be provided by a VoIP provider.

The House and Senate Commerce committees approved broadband bills aimed at helping facilitate services in rural and underserved areas. Bills reauthorizing the FTC’s do-not- call registry also were approved in both committees Tuesday. Separately, Senate Commerce approved a bill (S-1853) that would enable state and local governments set up their own wireless networks, and another (S-1675) setting standards for low-power radio. House Commerce passed bills ensuring that all voice providers could supply 911 services (HR-3403), and requiring the FTC to set up an Internet safety education program (HR-3461).

BOSTON -- Prepare for more VoIP regulation as the FCC more often treats VoIP as it does traditional phone service, panelists said Tuesday at the VON conference. The VoIP industry must pay more heed to rules emerging at the federal, state and international levels, they said. “You need good legal counsel to navigate these kinds of things,” said VON Executive Director Jim Kohlenberger.

Rural broadband deployment would get a boost under the farm bill approved Thursday in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The omnibus measure kept intact provisions dealing with loans to rural broadband providers, along with new definitions billed as ensuring that help is targeted to truly rural parts of the country. The bill also would set up a national clearinghouse to track how many broadband providers serve a particular area. The underlying bill would extend for five years rules governing federal agriculture spending.

The House Commerce Committee has rescheduled to Tuesday a markup of several telecom-related bills. A session set for Thursday was scrapped to free members for House floor votes. Bills to be marked up include a measure to help VoIP providers with delivering 911 services (HR-3403), develop a nationwide database of broadband service providers (HR-3919), extend do-not-call rules (HR-3541, HR-2601) and implement an Internet child safety program (HR-3461).