WASHINGTON-The United States should work toward formally opting in on a standard for electronic numbering, which could allow a single number to be used for a wide variety of communications, said Nancy Victory, a senior official in the Department of Commerce.
“Because of the potential benefits of electronic numbering, the [Commerce Department] through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration believes that the United States should seize this opportunity and take steps to participate in [the ENUM standard], consistent with the highest standards of security, competition and privacy,” said Victory.
NTIA held a forum on ENUM in August.
Before the United States takes the formal step of opting in, some issues need to be worked out, said Victory in a letter to Ambassador David Gross, U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy at the Department of State.
Those steps include: Preserving national sovereignty: Every country should have the ability to determine how ENUM is implemented; Supporting competition: Alternatives to ENUM should be allowed with allowances for interoperability; Promoting innovation; Protecting security and privacy: ENUM providers should develop a system to authenticate the user and; and Minimizing regulation.
