WASHINGTON-The Nov. 24 date is firm for wireless local number portability, and the intent is for wireless-to-wireless porting to go forth on that day, said the chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
“The date is firm,” said John Muleta Tuesday at his quarterly press briefing. “The Nov. 24 deadline has been about getting wireless-to-wireless portability.”
All future guidance on WLNP will come from the Federal Communications Commission, he said.
“These are issues that will be decided by the commission,” said Muleta. “My recommendation was in July. . The question is the commission has been asked to either affirm or reject the position I took in my letter.”
Muleta sent a letter of clarification on LNP implementation issues to Verizon Wireless in July, but other carriers said he did not have the authority to make such pronouncements and have asked the FCC to reject his views.
Muleta and David Solomon, chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, are traveling soon to see how Cingular Wireless L.L.C.-one of the most ardent critics of WLNP-is progressing on its implementation.
As to the issues regarding wireline-to-wireless porting, Muleta continued to say that the FCC will give guidance on these issues before the Nov. 24 deadline, but gave no hint as to how that decision may come out.
“Our goal is to address those issues by Nov. 24 to provide clarity. The bottom line there though is that we have two industries that have grown up under two different regulatory structures, and those things need to be aligned. We have to work jointly with the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau. Again, what we want to encourage is as much competition as possible within the limits of LNP and to do it in a way that is a smooth and efficient process for consumers. We would expect the net result is that consumers will have greater choice in both prices and services and flexibility,” said Muleta.
Muleta hopes carriers are able to reach service-level agreements to implement LNP in all forms. “A lot of the technical issues have been resolved. What really seems to be at the center of dispute between the carriers now seems to be what are called service-level agreements,” he said. “Ideally, companies should have the incentives to set up these bi-lateral arrangements to make it easier for their systems and processes.”
