The N.H. PUC approved assignment of phone numbers to a CLEC-cable joint venture to provide VoIP-based phone services via cable in 28 rural communities in central and eastern N.H. The PUC approved thousand-block number assignments to the partnership of CLEC IDT America and cable company MetroCast. Under their business arrangement, IDT will provide wholesale VoIP services, PSTN interconnection, number portability, E- 911 and directory assistance to MetroCast, which in turn will use its cable facilities to connect to its retail telephony customers. MetroCast also will handle all retail phone service sales, billing, disputes and general retail customer relations. End-users will have no dealings with IDT. The IDT-MetroCast deal resembles business arrangements made between Sprint and various cable companies for competitive VoIP-based phone service to cable customers in rural areas around the country. Under the order (Case 06-169), MetroCast must obtain a state CLEC certificate, file its rate schedule with the PUC and adhere to numbering restrictions that bar it from using its numbers for anything other than phone service to its cable end-user customers in the towns where it provides cable video service. Me. is one of a handful of states with one area code, 603, covering the entire state. The PUC said the IDT-MetroCast VoIP business arrangement is the first of its type to get numbering resources in N.H., but said assignment of numbers in blocks of 1,000 to this unique business arrangement “appropriately balances concern over efficient use of scarce numbering resources with consumers’ interest in having greater competitive choice.”

VoIP subscribers would be assured full access to 911 and E-911 services under a bill introduced by Sens. Snowe (R- Me.), Nelson (D-Fla.) and Clinton (D-N.Y.) Tues. The bill, the same measure the senators introduced last year, would require phone companies to give VoIP companies access to 911 networks. The legislation also ensures that consumers are fully informed if their VoIP provider can’t ensure that their 911 call would be properly routed in an emergency. The Senate attempted to pass the bill last year through an accelerated “hotline” procedure near the end of the congressional session, but Democratic holds blocked its passage.

NTIA needs to develop E-911 grant guidelines as required under a law passed 2 years ago, Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Inouye (D-Hawaii) said Thurs. in a letter to NTIA Dir. John Kneuer. NTIA has made “little or no effort” to establish grant criteria for the program, but instead has relied on the Administration’s failure to ask for funds for E-911 grants to justify inaction “in the face of this explicit congressional directive,” said the letter, also signed by 5 other Democrats. The situation is critical since many public safety answering points (PSAPs) are unable to upgrade their emergency response systems without the grants, the letter said. According to the National Emergency Number Assn., nearly half of the counties in the country lack a PSAP that can locate 911 calls made from a wireless phone, it said: “Respectfully, we ask that you reconsider your agency’s present position and move quickly under your existing operational budget to develop grant guidelines.” The senators said they intend to secure sufficient funding for the program.

SAN JOSE -- It’s “tragic” that 911 is left out of efforts for interoperable emergency communications -- but one such bid ignited a “firestorm” showing the explosive potential of moves to redirect govt. money first responders want, said panelists at a Homeland Defense Journal conference here. “Current policies don’t consider 911 a critical component of public-safety interoperability,” said Evelyn Bailey of L. Robert Bailey & Assoc. consulting.

The federal Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is working on including SMS and text messaging, probably in 2009 or 2010, an official said Thurs. The program gives priority to cellphone calls by emergency officials and others to deal with network congestion during emergencies (CD May 26 p8). It’s working with 35 businesses, volunteering services, “looking at the process to do this” extension, said Vernon Mosley, chief engineer for WPS and the corresponding Govt. Emergency Telecom Service (GETS) for wireline calls. He said at a Homeland Security Journal emergency communications conference in San Jose that Sprint Nextel will start offering WPS next quarter, rounding out a roster of 5 national wireless carriers. Network-level preemption to increase call completion would require a Presidential override of FCC policy -- and in the Gulf hurricanes, performance wouldn’t have improved much, because most routing failures were caused by network damage, not congestion, Mosley said in answer to a question. GETS has 150,000 users, Mosley said. That’s 10,000 more than it had Dec. 1. He said all 911 public service access points (PSAPs) “should have available to them GETS,” for callbacks when calls are cut off. The services fall under the National Communications System in the Homeland Security Dept.

Lawmakers introduced several telecom measures Thurs. on the opening day of Congress -- some of which didn’t make it last Congress. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Stevens (R-Alaska) introduced 5 measures, including a bill that would reform the Universal Service Fund (USF) program that Senate Minority Whip Lott (R-Miss.) is co-sponsoring. Stevens also is introducing a measure that would address FCC and FTC roles in policing pretexting -- impersonating someone else’s identity to illegally gain access to private phone records. A Judiciary bill was enacted last Congress.

Mass. regulators urged the legislature to apply E-911 phone surcharges to all telecom technologies including VoIP. The Dept. of Telecom & Energy (DTE), in a 40-page report to lawmakers in response to a 2006 demand for suggested changes to E-911 laws, said the E-911 surcharge should apply to all “connection points” that allow E-911 access, whether wireline, wireless, VoIP or other technology. The DTE urged lawmakers to consider regionalizing E-911 by consolidating local public safety answering points. Disability access program funding should be split from E-911 funding, it said, urging a separate disability access surcharge and transfer of disability access program administration from Verizon to the Mass. Commission for the Deaf or another agency. Today’s 99 monthly surcharge on landline and wireless service funds E- 911 and disability access. Separating disability funding from E-911 funding would relieve the state Emergency Telecom Board of having to collect funds for the disability access program, which is unrelated to the core E-911 mission, it said.

A Toledo Edison work crew installing utility poles near Fremont, O., Tues. cut a Verizon fiber cable, accidentally killing phone service to about 9,300 customers in Sandusky and Seneca Counties, and disrupting 911 service in those counties and also in Carroll, Erie, Huron and Ottawa Counties. Service went out around 9:30 a.m., restored 10 hours later. Toledo Edison officials said they asked that the site be marked, but the marking of Verizon’s cable was off about 25 feet. Verizon said it’s investigating, but if the marking was incorrect then the 3rd-party contractor who marked the site is responsible for the damages, not Toledo Edison.

A Thurs. software failure in a Verizon phone switch in N.Y.C. killed telecom data service in most of lower Manhattan south of Canal Street, including service to N.Y.P.D. hq. Some voice lines were affected. The outage affected customers in the northern part of the financial district but not Wall St. No disruption hit 911 or 311 systems, but as a precaution city emergency agencies activated backup communications systems. Service went out around 4 p.m. with 90% plus of lines restored by 11 p.m., Verizon said, after it replaced faulty software and reset the switch.

The N.M. Public Regulation Commission (PRC) unanimously approved Qwest’s $270 million offer to end a suit over Qwest’s $224 million shortfall on a 2001 investment commitment. The PRC spurned consumer group calls for draconian penalties to ensure Qwest complies with the new investment deal. Instead, it stuck to the original penalty clause calling for fining the carrier $10,000 each day it isn’t complying with the deal’s investment schedule after 21 months. The fine would accrue until Qwest was in compliance. The agreement also allows the PRC to order as many audits as it needs to monitor compliance and includes clauses intended keep Qwest from escaping its commitment. The PRC kept a provision requiring Qwest to give back $10 million to customers for quality failures -- about $12.50 per account. Qwest must deploy broadband service in 23 communities now lacking it, expanding broadband availability to 83% of Qwest exchanges from 69%, and rural broadband availability to 50% of rural exchanges from 27%. The pact requires general upgrades to Qwest’s network, including rural 911 and facilities serving federal installations such as White Sands Proving Ground. Qwest will file a detailed timetable for the network projects within weeks. Qwest must set up a $5 million fund for technology grants to disadvantaged public schools. Qwest late last winter was ordered by the PRC to refund $224 million -- about $250 per account -- to compensate customers for Qwest’s failure to honor a 2001 commitment to invest $778 million in its network by 2006, made as part of a price cap regulation agreement. Qwest failed to get state courts to overturn the refund order. Its last-ditch appeal was pending when it made the settlement offer.