At newly formed Telecommunications Law Professionals, all ex-Paul Hastings: Carl Northrop, managing member; members Michael Lazarus and Andrew Morentz; Vance Shuemann, senior policy advisor; John Griffith Johnson, of counsel; new attorney Jessica DeSimone … Verizon’s Richard Lynch, executive vice president for enterprisewide strategic technology initiatives, to retire, effective Aug. 19 … ESPN promotes Chuck Pagano to executive vice president and chief technology officer, new position … Andrea Zappia promoted to Sky Italia CEO, replacing Tom Mockridge, named News International CEO … Sesame Workshop names Jennifer Ahearn, ex-IBM, vice president of licensing, strategic partner relations … WE tv hires Sherry Pitkofsky, ex-Bravo, as vice president, partnership marketing, promotions & public affairs.

Globalstar changes: CEO Peter Dalton to retire; Executive Chairman and former CEO Jay Monroe to be interim CEO … Dixon Doll, Doll Capital Management, joins DirecTV board … Belo Corp. board adds Peter Altabef, ex-Dell and Perot Systems, as director.

CTIA names Jamie Hastings, ex-T-Mobile, vice president-external and state affairs … Lobbyist Registrations: Google, Nelson Mullins, effective July 1 … Neustar names Mark Bregman, ex-Symantec, chief technology officer … New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative hires Greta Byrum as media policy analyst … NBCUniversal hires Jeffrey Schneider, ex-Lifetime TV Networks, as executive vice president-business affairs, entertainment & digital networks and integrated media, new position … USA Mobility adds Christopher Heim, head of its software subsidiary, to its board … Fisher Communications promotes Hassan Natha to senior vice president and chief financial officer and Sherry Pelletier to vice president of human resources … Nexstar Broadcasting promotes Jon Skorburg to vice president and general manager, WQRF-TV, and community Web portal Mystateline.com. He'll also oversee Mission Broadcasting’s WTVO-TV Rockford, under a joint operating agreement.

Changes in office of Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.: Michael Robbins leaves Friday to lead Air Line Pilots Association government affairs, being replaced as chief of staff by Katie Murtha, who’s being replaced as legislative director by Kimberlee Trzeciak … Jennifer Taylor, ex-Google, joins BT as vice president-U.S. government relations, in Washington, D.C., office … Lobbyist Registrations: Research In Motion, Park Strategies Washington Group, effective July 25; Sharp Electronics, Joseph Pasetti, effective July 1 … Motorola Solutions adds Kenneth Dahlberg, ex-Science Applications International Corp., to board … Intel board elects Andy Bryant vice chairman, new position, in preparation to become chairman in 2012, to replace Jane Shaw when she retires as chairman in May.

Charter Communications hires Jay Rolls, ex-Cox Communications, as senior vice president and chief technology officer … Jon Callas, ex-Apple, becomes Entrust chief technology officer … American Cable Association board moves: Colleen Abdoulah, WideOpenWest, named chair, replacing Steve Friedman, Wave Broadband, who remains on board; Robert Gessner, Massillon Cable, named vice chairman … Fox International Channels promotions: Jesus Perezagua to president, Europe & Africa; Jason Thorp to executive vice president of content for those regions … Oxygen Media names Galen Jones, ex-Court TV, senior vice president-Oxygen Research, new position.

NDS Group hires Dave Habiger, ex-Sonic Solutions, as CEO, succeeding Abe Peled, who remains chairman … New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative hires Kistine Carolan, ex-Maternity Care Coalition, as field analyst, representing the initiative in the Philadelphia Freedom Rings broadband and computer labs partnership … Discovery names Guhan Selvaretnam, ex-Turner Broadcasting, senior vice president-product, content and operations, Discovery Digital Media … Gannett hires Debra Goetz, ex-NBCUniversal, as vice president of marketing.

Verizon promotes Lowell McAdam to president-CEO, effective Aug. 1; Ivan Seidenberg to remain chairman.

Intellectual property attorney Justin Pierce, ex-Sony Ericsson, returns to Venable’s Washington office as partner … Sinclair Broadcast promotes Mark Aitken to vice president-advanced technology … Nick Toon, ex-Channel 4, becomes Time Warner Ltd. vice president-U.K. public policy … Qualcomm promotions: Avneesh Agrawal to senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia; Kanwalinder Singh to senior vice president-business development in the newly created New Markets group within Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.

Lobbyist Registrations: Sprint Nextel, Crowell Strategies, effective June 15 … BT Americas, Crowell Strategies, effective June 22 … Comcast, Mitchell Silberberg, effective April 1 … TracFone, Susan Cassidy, effective May 23 … Dane Snowden, ex-CTIA and FCC, becomes NCTA chief of staff, effective Aug. 22 … Paul Dughi, Cowles California Media, joins NAB TV board … NBCUniversal hires Michael Haggerty, ex-Universal McCann, as senior vice president of research for Bravo and Style media … New board members at Global Eagle Acquisition: Jim McNamara, ex-Telemundo, and Dennis Miller, ex-Sony Pictures Entertainment.

NBCUniversal promotes Frances Berwick to president of Bravo and Style media … Brandon Heiner, ex-USTelecom, becomes CenturyLink director-federal legislative affairs … Vindco online video ad company hires Jes Santoro, ex-NBCUniversal, as senior vice president of sales … Lobbyist Registrations: Comcast, Cabralgroup and Gephardt Group, both effective April 1 … Google, Chesapeake Enterprises, effective April 29 … Netflix, Kountoupes Consulting, effective June 1, and Franklin Square Group, effective June 2 … PCIA, Patton Boggs, effective June 22.