FCC’s New Chief Tech Officer Is NG911 Expert

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has named Henning Schulzrinne as the agency’s chief technology officer, responsible for guiding the commission through engineering and other technical issues. Schulzrinne is a professor at Columbia University (NY) and has been an FCC Engineering Fellow since 2010. Beyond his general expertise in electrical engineering, he specializes in voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) issues, and over the past 10 years has researched its use for a Next Generation 911 (NG911) network. In particular, he has worked on the issue of including location information into VoIP data streams to allow ALI data to be streamed along with 911 voice, and co-authored a recent cost study of NG911. He has also consulted with planning teams for a public safety wireless network. FCC chair Julius Genachowski said in a press release, “With the appointment of Henning—a world-class technologist—we extend our commitment to technology excellence at the FCC and to strong engagement with outside technology experts.” Schulzrinne has a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories and is a former member of the Internet Architecture Board, where he helped develop key protocols for VoIP.