Adam Bender

The FCC should hold a series of E-911 hearings before deciding whether to impose tougher location accuracy standards, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said at an E-911 Institute roundtable Thursday. “Our ultimate goal of advancing 911 may not be well served if the proceeding, regardless of how well intentioned, rushes to judgment by issuing a series of tentative conclusions without even beginning to conduct necessary due diligence,” he said. “The FCC needs to make a more collaborative approach… We need to listen to what those who are closer to the issue say.”

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire will partner to build a nationwide WiMAX mobile broadband network, launching commercial service the first half of 2008, the companies said Thursday. No cash was exchanged, and the companies did not comment on whether an acquisition or similar deal was on the horizon. The arrangement is positive for both companies, with Clearwire benefiting most, analysts said.

SunRocket turned down acquisition offers from VoIP company Nuvio and a “couple other firms” in the weeks before it shut down Monday, Nuvio CEO Jason Talley said in an interview. SunRocket instead brought in Sherwood consulting to help wind up the business. “SunRocket investors and the board were looking to move on,” he said. Sherwood spokesman Martin Pichinson did not comment.

The European Commission (EC) picked Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) to be the single European mobile TV standard Wednesday, enraging supporters of rival mobile broadcast formats. The EC will add DVB-H to the European Union’s official standards list in the coming weeks, and may propose to mandate the technology’s use next year, it said. The Commission said it chose a single standard to tackle technological fragmentation and boost mobile TV deployment, but opponents said the non-technology-neutral approach could cripple Europe’s competitive marketplace.

Almost 200 SunRocket employees found themselves jobless when the VoIP company shut down with only a short internal memo for explanation. And the company’s more than 200,000 customers received no notice beyond a curt message on SunRocket’s customer service line: “We are no longer taking customer service or sales calls. Goodbye.” Unfavorable regulatory decisions, the unfortunate timing of Vonage developments and an exodus of talent after the departure of SunRocket’s founders contributed to the VoIP company’s demise, said Brian Lustig, who was SunRocket’s media relations director from 2004 until April 2007. SunRocket did not return requests for comment.

A $160 billion Vodafone purchase of Verizon is unlikely, UBS analysts said Monday. The Financial Times reported Monday that European mobile phone company Vodafone was considering an all-stock buy of Verizon, after which it would spin off its wireline business to a private equity consortium. The paper cited “well placed financiers” as providing insights. Not so, said Vodafone. “Vodafone wishes to make it clear that it has no plans to make such an offer,” it said. Verizon declined to comment. But even if Vodafone is eyeing Verizon, regulatory hurdles and transaction structure would be problematic, UBS said.

T-Mobile may be onto something with HotSpot@Home, a service that lets users switch voice calls seamlessly between Wi-Fi and the T-Mobile network, analysts said. Using Wi-Fi increases T-Mobile’s reach to homes and will save the company “billions” long term, said ThinkEquity analyst Anton Wahlman. He called it the “exact right architectural approach” and “one of the most genius moves of all time in cellular.” Jupiter Research analyst Julie Ask agreed that the service is a “good fit” for 3G-less T-Mobile, but said it may not make sense for rival carriers.

The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) will dissolve, it board decided by two-thirds majority vote Thursday, EIA said. EIA will distribute its assets to its four member associations: the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Material Association (ECA), the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA), the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). EIA will also disburse assets to the Consumer Electronics Association, which split from EIA in 2005 but had an agreement to receive EIA assets if the group dissolved before 2010, a source close to the realignment said in an interview. Finally, EIA will give a “one-time dump donation” to its philanthropic wing, National Science & Technology Education Partnership, our source said. The breakup is a “victory for the member groups,” which will gain “millions and millions of dollars” in funding, our source said. EIA said it hopes to wrap up the realignment this year.

Congress should build 911 awareness nationwide with a “National 9-1-1 Education Month,” said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D- Calif.). Congressional E-911 Caucus co-chairs Eshoo and Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) Thursday unveiled H.R. 537, which would designate one month each year to educating Americans about 911 services through events, ad campaigns, school presentations and parent and teacher training. The bill aims especially at children, seniors, the hearing-impaired, those with limited English and other “vulnerable populations,” said Eshoo. Its passage would reduce inappropriate 911 use and stress on the 911 system from technological change, said Gregory Rohde, executive director of the E-911 Institute. The bill is a “silver bullet” in a comprehensive E-911 approach, Eshoo said. Along with 16 House cosponsors, the bill has backing by the E-911 Institute, National Emergency Number Association, National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, CTIA, 9-11 for Kids and Comcare. Those groups have adopted resolutions designating April for the 911 campaign.

Limits on the independence of inspectors general (IG) hurt the National Security Agency IG’s investigation into warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, former Defense Department IG Eleanor Hill said Wednesday at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. Like all agency IGs, the NSA IG cannot be as objective as departmental IGs due to limited resources and a lack of statutory autonomy protecting the office from agency directors, she said. IGs need more independence and more visibility for their reports to conduct strong, objective inquiries like Justice Department IG Glenn Fine’s on FBI misuse of national Security Letters, said Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine), who has proposed a bill to amend the 1978 Inspector General Act. Congress should protect inspectors generals’ job security and raise their pay, so IGs can go after higher-ups without fear of reprisal, she said. And better Web site design could bring more attention to IG reports, lending audits the “juice” they need to succeed, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said. Agency sites tend not to have obvious links to IG sites, and it can be difficult to find reports on IG sites, she said.