WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association on Wednesday morning threw in the towel and gave up fighting wireless local number portability.
“This thing is moving forward. It is inevitable. We are embracing the inevitable with a smile on our face,” said CTIA President Steve Largent in his first press conference.
CTIA will stop lobbying on Capitol Hill and will oppose any judicial effort to delay WLNP but will stay prepared to fight against any action by wireline carriers to delay wireline-to-wireless portability which the Federal Communications Commission confirmed on Monday must also go forward on Nov. 24.
“I have witnessed first hand the incredible muscle that (wireline carriers) they have to push regulators and lawmakers,” said Largent, who served as a congressman from Oklahoma. “We want to make sure this gets implemented simultaneously.”
The new CTIA position did not warm the heart of James Bradford Ramsay, general counsel of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, because he worries that the wireless industry will indeed piggyback on any delay proposed by the wireline industry. NARUC, which represents state regulators, has been lobbying against any WLNP delay.
“I would like to believe them. I really would,” said Ramsay. But CTIA’s caveat “doesn’t give me enormous comfort because the wireline folks are not looking at a good legal case” so there is apt to be some push on Capitol Hill.
Ramsay said he will not give up the fight until either the FCC funding bill-formally known as the Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004-is passed by the Senate or the Nov. 24 LNP implementation deadline comes and goes.
The CJS bill got hung up on Monday and it is now expected to be included in an omnibus budget bill but whether that bill can be crafted and passed by both houses by Nov. 24 remains unclear. In the days of negotiations leading up to an omnibus bill or Nov. 24 coming and going, political horse-trading continues and Ramsay said he stands prepared.
Instead of fighting WLNP, CTIA has taken the attitude of its largest member, Verizon Wireless, and has created a Web site, www.EasyPorting.com to help consumers decide whether to port and to educate consumers on what steps they should take before attempting to port. “There are a number of things that consumers can do before they get to the retail office of the carrier they want to port to,” said Largent.
On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless announced the launch of two Web sites: www.vzwshop.com/lnp/consumer for consumers and www.vzwshop.com/lnp/business for business customers.
“Verizon Wireless supports local number portability and has been diligently working to implement system upgrades, new processes and procedures to ensure a smooth and barrier-free transition for all customers,” said Verizon Wireless President Denny Strigl.
