WASHINGTON-FCC Chairman Michael Powell said Tuesday he expects there will be hiccups next week when customers are allowed to port their telephone numbers, but he expects them to be “modest, minor and temporary.”
Powell’s view seems to contradict most in the telecommunications industry who believe that next Monday’s start of the wireless local number portability mandate could cause massive consumer confusion if it does not go smoothly.
If customers do have a sour experience trying to port, they should contact the Federal Communications Commission, said Powell at the National Press Club. A customer complaint would be the first step in the enforcement process, but he does not believe the agency will have to spend a lot of time enforcing its LNP rules because once carriers “get over their initial dismay” they will use LNP as a tool not a barrier.
Powell encouraged consumers to first check their contracts so they are aware of any termination fees, then compare services and technologies among the various carriers-both wireless and wireline-and then if they decide to switch to go to their new carriers of choice.
Customers should have available copies of their most recent bills so the new carrier will have all of the necessary information to facilitate a port. Customers should not terminate their existing service since this is part of the porting process, said Powell.
Powell dismissed the carriers-mostly wireline at this point-that are still wishing to stop LNP. “The only people who are afraid of local number portability are the people who are afraid to compete,” he said.
At the same time Powell was giving his press conference, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) hailed the upcoming LNP deadline.
“For years, the wireless industry has employed the bait and no-switch, luring consumers with expensive bells and whistles and then making it nearly impossible for them to change carriers. Portability is an important step in the right direction, finally tipping the advantage from the carriers to the consumers,” said Weiner.
Weiner has been a consistent critic of the wireless industry. He is the sponsor of the Cell Phone Service Disclosure Act, which calls for more information being available to consumers regarding mobile-phone service.
