WASHINGTON-The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday sent to the Senate floor a bill that directs the Federal Communications Commission to release the implementation guidelines for wireless local number portability before the Nov. 24 deadline.
“The Committee is pleased that the FCC is developing implementation requirements for local number portability. The committee urges the FCC to complete these requirements prior to the implementation deadline and to address wireline-to-wireless portability in a timely manner,” reads the report.
Even though the language does not tell the FCC to delay the WLNP mandate, the wireless industry sees this as a foot in the door. If the FCC doesn’t act and Congress doesn’t finish action on the FCC funding bill, formally referred to as the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004, before November-which is likely-the industry can go back to Congress and strengthen the language.
State regulators, on the other hand, were thrilled at being able to turn back an effort to require the FCC to delay WLNP until it had issued rules on wireless-to-wireline portability.
“While we have won yet another critical battle in Congress, state regulators across the country are still keenly aware that we have yet to win the war,” said Jessica Zufolo, legislative director for the National Association for Regulatory Utility Commissioners, which represents state regulators.
“We have no comment on pending legislation. Wireless carriers have had sufficient time to prepare for the commission’s Nov. 24 deadline. At the FCC, we’re working to ensure there is a clear process in place for consumers and plan to address any remaining relevant issues in the near future,” said Meribeth McCarrick, spokeswoman for the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
It may not be only Congress the FCC has to worry about. The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association is expected today to ask the court to force the FCC to release the implementation rules or to delay the Nov. 24 mandate.
