WASHINGTON-It has been one year since the Federal Communications Commission ordered carriers to allow customers to churn and take their phone numbers with them.
The FCC said Wednesday that twice as many people-more than 8.5 million-participated in wireless local number portability in its inaugural year than participated in wireline LNP during its first year.
“Wireless LNP allows consumers to choose their carrier based on the best rates and plans for their needs, rather than remaining captive with a carrier they no longer want in order not to undergo a change of phone number,” said FCC Chairman Michael Powell. “I commend the wireless industry for overcoming some initial glitches, inherent in any new system, and making the porting process go smoothly and efficiently for consumers. I am also pleased to note that some wireless providers have recently announced they have reduced the line-item charges that had been imposed to fund LNP, another consumer win.”
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau said the number of customers participating in LNP has been steadily increasing to a monthly average of 720,000 wireless-to-wireless ports. The numbers have also increased monthly for intermodal porting from less than 3,000 in December 2003 to 165,000 in June. The intermodal figure dropped to 143,000 in July, the last month that detailed numbers are available.
The FCC got the numbers from NeuStar Inc., an independent contractor chosen by the FCC to facility LNP.
While it typically takes less than three hours to port between wireless carriers, customers wishing to cut the cord-almost 10 percent of the wireless LNP ports were from wireline numbers-must wait days for the process to be completed. The FCC recently proposed reducing the time it takes to port from wireline service to wireless from four days to just more than two days-from 96 hours to 53 hours.
The proposal was the result of a report submitted by the North American Numbering Council, an FCC advisory committee made up of representatives of all sectors of the telecommunications industry. The NANC report indicates that it will take the industry two years to comply with the new porting intervals after the FCC mandates a change.
While the FCC is trying to reduce the intermodal porting times, rural carriers are still fighting to get out of the local number portability obligation altogether. Recently rural local exchange carriers took their grievances to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The D.C. Circuit is expected to rule by summer.
