A special search committee led by the Assn. of Public Communications Officials selected a team headed by BearingPoint, formally KMPG Consulting, to administer the multibillion dollar 800 MHz rebanding, the Transition Administrator Search Committee (TASC) said. The FCC must still sign off on the recommendation. As expected, the group picked a relatively large consulting firm, with 16,000 employees in 29 countries, to head what is expected to be a massive, multiyear project. Law firm Squires, Sanders & Dempsey and telecom firm Baseline Telecom are working with BearingPoint. TASC said it had received applications from 12 firms and met with each to assess their qualifications. TASC said the BearingPoint team showed “the strongest skills among those responding.” One source said of the selection: “As long as Nextel goes along with whomever it is it really doesn’t matter.” A 2nd source said the selection of a major consulting firm and partners had been expected. “There’s a lot of moving parts you have to deal with and you need some size.”

As Hurricane Isabel bore down on the East Coast, telecom carriers said they were prepared for the worst. BellSouth and Verizon officials said their technicians were checking backup power systems so they could continue providing phone service if commercial power was lost and making sure their fuel tanks were full.

Power management and restoration practices for telecom networks are under review following the massive Aug. 14 blackout in the Northeast, wireline and wireless industry officials told the Network Reliability & Interoperability Council (NRIC) Mon. Of particular NRIC interest was the impact of the sustained outage on wireless networks, which suffered from both spikes in call volume and, in some cases, from backup generation that ran out (CD Aug 18 p1). FCC Chmn. Powell said such demand spikes were likely to be something the industry would have to factor in for future emergencies.

Threats to critical infrastructure such as telecom networks via a cyberattack became more real for many members of Congress in Aug. after the blackout of Aug. 14 and the series of Internet worm attacks, even though all intelligence to date suggested neither was terrorist-related. On Capitol Hill Thurs., 2 House subcommittees held a joint hearing on cyberthreats, but at that session -- and an appropriations hearing on the critical infrastructure unit of the Dept. of Homeland Security -- govt. witnesses expressed little concern about any immediate danger.

INDIANAPOLIS -- FCC Chmn. Powell told the Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) here Mon. the agency’s E911 Coordination Initiative would focus next on working with governors’ offices to build support for ensuring state funds set aside for E911 rollout were used for that purpose. “Consumers have an expectation that fees appearing on their bills for E911 will be used to further the deployment of these life-saving technologies, and we must ensure that those expectations are honored,” he said. Outlining the Commission’s next steps on E911, Powell also said it was creating a technical group on 911 network architecture and technical standards that would work under the Network Reliability & Interoperability Council (NRIC).

FCC staff members plan to look at new issues such as review of TELRIC pricing, powerline broadband offerings and voice-over-IP (VoIP) this year, they told Commission in special meeting Wed. to look at bureau activities. Much of meeting was devoted to reviews of bureaus’ achievements and look ahead to new projects, often with praise from commissioners for bureau chiefs’ work. “This is further evidence that lawyers can manage,” Comr. Adelstein told Enforcement Bureau Chief David Solomon, who is lawyer.

National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace report due to be released today (Wed.) has fewer details on wireless security and tones down language in earlier version that cautioned that security gaps in 802.11 wireless networks should be plugged before secure systems were deployed. Report stresses user education and continued development of wireless security protocols. But it doesn’t contain recommendation of earlier, printer-ready draft that said while efforts continued to improve security of wireless LAN systems, “federal agencies and other organizations requiring security and privacy on their networks should either disconnect from wireless LANs or strictly limit access in a way that provides security.” Instead, final draft said federal agencies should consider installing systems that “continuously check for unauthorized connections to their networks.” Earlier version recommended federal agencies take that step within 6 months, but latest version didn’t define timeline.

Despite concerns expressed by homeland security officials and others in the U.S. govt. about the future of the company’s massive Internet infrastructure, WorldCom CEO John Sidgmore said Tues.: “I don’t think there’s much chance, if any, of any blip in the service.” At a Washington news briefing held an hour after he met with FCC Chmn. Michael Powell, Sidgmore said his company was by far the largest Internet carrier in the world, with 50% of the Internet’s total traffic, 70% of e-mail in the U.S. and 50% of e-mail in the world. “There is no significant chance of the UUNet infrastructure going dark,” he said.

Future disaster recovery communications command sites must include industry-supported database system to keep track of emergency telecom resources, personnel and mission- critical information, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Dir. Joseph Allbaugh told Senate panel Wed. Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) held Commerce Committee Science, Technology & Space Subcommittee hearing to assess ability of communications and information technology (IT) sectors to respond in times of crises. He continued to explore idea of creating “NetGuard,” response force of public and private sector volunteers that could be mobilized in response to disasters such as Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sen. Allen (R- Va.) expressed support for NetGuard, but said govt. must make sure that it didn’t “duplicate the efforts of the private sector.” Allbaugh said IT professionals must join together in coordinated volunteer effort to prepare for such disasters in future and “a NetGuard would be welcomed.”

There’s 50-50 chance DirecTV-EchoStar merger will be blocked by antitrust regulators, said former Justice Dept. Antitrust Div. Chief Don Baker. Baker, who worked as staffer 1966-1975, was appointed antitrust chief by President Ford in 1976, now is partner in Baker & Miller antitrust law firm. “Clearly there are a couple of different issues,” Baker told us. He and other attorneys said EchoStar faced uphill regulatory battle, but they said hiring of antitrust lawyer David Boies should help. Former DoJ telecom legal expert Don Russell now is top EchoStar lawyer.