NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 431 – Saskatchewan, Canada – NPA 639 to Overlay NPA 306

NANPA has assigned NPA 639 to provide relief for the 306 NPA serving Saskatchewan, Canada effective May 2013.

The distributed overlay will require residents to dial 10-digits once the permissive dialing period ends.

Key implementation dates are:

11/25/2012 – Central office codes in new NPA become available
02/25/2013 – Permissive dialing period begins
05/25/2013 – Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins

For test numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 430 – California – NPA 669 to Overlay NPA 408

NANPA has assigned NPA 669 to provide relief for the 408 NPA serving most of Santa Clara County, California and several surrounding communities. 

This all-services overlay will require residents to dial 1+10-digits once the permissive dialing period ends.

Key implementation dates are:

04/21/2012 – Permissive dialing period begins
05/20/2012 – Central office codes in new NPA become available
10/20/2012 – Mandatory 1+10-digit dialing begins
11/20/2012 – Central office codes in new NPA activate
 
For test numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.

Commissioners Adopt USF/ICC Reform Order

FCC Commissioners at Thursday’s open meeting unanimously approved an order to reform the Universal Service Fund and Intercarrier Compensation System.

The full order has yet to be made public. In the meantime, the Commission released a 26-point executive summary.  

I will be reviewing the full order to determine how it will impact clients, along with Tele-Tech itself. Look for a summary of key points to be posted here once the order is released.

I’d like to hear how the new rules will affect you. Leave comments below or email me at krusso@telecomdb.com.

Frontier Discontinues Calling Card Services in Western U.S. 

Starting in November, Frontier Communications will no longer offer calling card services in the following states:

• Arizona
• Idaho
• Montana
• New Mexico
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington

As a result, Tele-Tech will be deleting calling card and operator calling card services from the local pricing files and long distance toll files as determined by carriers and filings.

If you have any questions, contact Customer Service at kthomas@kfrservices.com or 800-433-6181.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 428 – British Columbia – NPA 236 to Overlay NPA 250/604/778

NANPA has assigned NPA 236 to provide relief for the 250/604/778 NPA service area in British Columbia, Canada. Ten-digit dialing is already mandatory, so a permissive dialing period is not necessary to prepare for this distributed overlay.
 
Key implementation dates are:
 
12/01/12 – NXX codes become available
03/03/13 – Network testing begins
06/01/13 – NPA 236 goes into effect

For test numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.

New CA Law Makes VoIP Providers Fund State Universal Service 

Interconnected VoIP carriers with terminating traffic in California will now have to pay into the state’s universal service fund. On October 9, Governor Edmund Brown signed into law a provision requiring this group of VoIP service providers to collect and remit surcharges on CA intrastate revenues.

The new law takes effect immediately.

Interconnected VoIP service providers can determine intrasate revenue by any of the following methods:

• The inverse of the interstate safe harbor percentage established by the FCC for interconnected VoIP service (currently 64.9%, which means the intrastate portion would be 35.1%). 
• A traffic study specific to the VoIP service provider allocating revenues between federal and state jurisdictions.
• Another means of accurately apportioning interconnected VoIP service between federal and state jurisdictions.

Any method used must be consistent with federal universal service contribution obligations.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan and supported by AT&T, is an attempt to recoup declining revenue from traditional wireline carriers. According to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), there are two-and-a-half million VoIP users in the state. About 80%, or two million, are residential subscribers.

BellSouth, Windstream Increasing Rates

Tele-Tech is now updating changes to local calling areas, pricing files, rate group line charges (RGLC) and EUCL charges.

We’ve seen a lot of activity with RGLC changes. Bellsouth and Windstream increased rates in several states. 

BellSouth increases affect:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee

Windstream increases affect:

• Arkansas
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Texas

RGLC updates will be shipped around October 25.