Tele-Tech's Blog

2011-11-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-11-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 427 – Maryland – NPA 667 to Overlay NPA 410/443

NANPA has assigned NPA 667 to provide relief for the 410/443 NPA service area in eastern Maryland. Ten-digit dialing is already mandatory, so a permissive dialing period is not necessary to prepare for this distributed overlay.

Key implementation dates are:

10/12/11 – Start of network preparation

01/23/12 – Earliest date to order central office codes in the new NPA

03/10/12 – Completion of network preparation

03/24/12 – NPA 667 goes into effect

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

2011-10-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

FCC to Vote on USF Reform October 27

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski unveiled in a speech Thursday a broad outline to reform the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Intercarrier Compensation (ICC) system.

Genachowski included elements from different proposals by industry members (the ABC Plan, the RLEC Plan and the plan submitted by the State Members of the Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service) but stated, “It will not rubber stamp or adopt wholesale the proposals of any stakeholder or group of stakeholders.”

For example, he said the plan would not eliminate states’ carrier of last resort obligations nor eliminate states’ responsibility for designating eligible telecommunications carriers. Plus, Connect America Fund support would not be provided as part of ICC recovery without accompanying broadband obligations.

Based on his speech, here is an outline of the Chairman’s plan:

Begin broadband build-out in 2012
Create a separate Mobility Fund alongside the Connect America Fund
Target funding exclusively in areas without an unsubsidized competitor
Transition to a competitive bidding process
Include a waiver process for special cases
Close loopholes on phantom traffic and traffic pumping
Phase down access rates over a measured but multi-year transition path, beginning with lowering intrastate access rates to interstate rate levels
Address terminating charges and assess the appropriate transition path for other rate elements

The reform order has been given to the Commissioners. They’re scheduled to vote on the plan October 27.

Read the Chairman’s speech at www.fcc.gov.

2011-10-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

FCC to Unveil Reform Plans Thursday

On Thursday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will deliver a speech on proposed reforms to the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Intercarrier Compensation (ICC) system. The USF/ICC reform order will be available later that day.

Genachowski will deliver the address in Washington, DC at 10:30 AM Eastern. The speech will also be broadcast live at www.fcc.gov/live.

Commissioners are expected to vote on the order at their October 27^th meeting.

The Chairman’s speech comes two months after issuing a Public Notice for comments on three different proposals: the ABC Plan, the RLEC Plan and the plan submitted by the State Members of the Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service.

See the latest edition of Tele-Tech Updates for a summary of each proposal. Tele-Tech will blog on Thursday comparing the Chairman’s plan with proposals submitted by the telecom industry.

2011-09-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Maryland 410/443 NPA Jeopardy Procedures Finalized

NANPA has finalized Jeopardy procedures for the 410/443 NPA in Maryland. NXX code rationing is set at one code per month, and 10 codes have been set aside for the Pooling Administrator. The final procedure went into effect September 21, 2011.

For details on the allocation process, go to www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 426 – Toronto, Canada – NPA 437 to Overlay NPA 416/647

All local calls will continue to be dialed with 10 digits when new area code 437 is implemented on March 25, 2013 in Toronto, Canada. NPA 437 will be used as a distributed overlay for NPA 416/647.

Network testing begins January 7, 2013. For test numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.

2011-09-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Updated Jeopardy Procedure – CA 408 NPA

An Updated Jeopardy Procedure for the California 408 NPA is now on the NANPA website. The extension of 408 area code rationing was announced earlier this week.

The updated document can be found at www.nanpa.com.

Universal Service Contributions Likely to Increase in Q4

The FCC has proposed increasing the fourth quarter 2011 universal service contribution factor to 15.3 percent. A Public Notice released September 13^th projects demand for service will exceed collected revenues.

The proposed rate is nearly one percent higher than last quarter’s contribution factor of 14.4 percent, but not as high as first quarter’s rate of 15.5 percent.

If the Commission does not take any action within 14 days of release of the Public Notice, the new rate will become effective.

Click here to read the notice.

2011-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Maryland 410/443 NPA in Jeopardy

NANPA has declared Jeopardy status for the 410/443 NPA complex in Maryland.

Interim Jeopardy procedures are in effect and NXX code assignments will be rationed starting October 1, 2011. According to NANPA, final Jeopardy procedures will be announced in September 2011.

For more details on the interim procedures, go to www.nanpa.com.

Rationing of California 408 NPA Extended

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will ration the 408 NPA to two NXX codes per month starting September 9, 2011. A lottery will determine the assignments.

NANPA revised its forecasted exhaust for the 408 area code from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2012.

Currently, the 408 NPA has 24 codes available for assignment. A decision on introducing a new area code will not be made before October 6, 2011.

2011-08-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

DOJ Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against AT&T

The Department of Justice today filed an antitrust lawsuit to stop AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile.

The proposed $39 billion purchase would have merged two of the four largest wireless service providers in the country. Both companies compete in 97 of the largest 100 cellular markets.

In a press release, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said, “The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services.”

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s statement indicates his agency also had concerns about the merger. Read his statement here.

Click here to read the DOJ press release.

2011-08-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 425 – Western Quebec – NPA Code 873 to Overlay NPA 819

Implementation of NPA 873 in Western Quebec, Canada, has been changed to 9/15/2012. The new date advances introduction of the new area code by nearly nine months.

The relief method stays the same, with a distributed overlay of NPA 873 over area code 819. All local calls will continue to be dialed with 10 digits.

Network testing begins 6/17/2012. For testing numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.

2011-08-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

FCC Announces Plan to Advance Deployment of NG9-1-1

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski released a five-step plan of action that aims to improve deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1, an IP-based emergency communications system. The current model, E9-1-1, has been around since the 1970’s and operates on a circuit-switched system.

The steps include:

1. Develop location accuracy mechanisms for NG911

2. Enable consumers to send text, photos, and videos to Public Safety

Answering Points (PSAPs)

3. Facilitate the completion and implementation of NG911 technical
standards

4. Develop a NG911 governance framework

5. Develop an NG911 Funding Model

As part of the process, the FCC will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) next month.

Here’s a link to the FCC’s fact sheet.

2011-08-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 424 – NPA 566 for Personal Communications Services

Assignment of NPA 566 for Personal Communications Services (PCS) has now been added to the NANPA website.

NANPA assigned the 566 NPA for PCS, because the supply of 5YY NXXs is expected to run out in late 2011 or early 2012.

NANPA assigned 423 5YY codes from January 1 through August 1, 2011. As of August 5, there are 395 available.

A date has not been set for activation of NPA 566.

For more information, visit www.nanpa.com.

2011-07-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 423 – Sint Maarten – Introduction of NPA 721
Implementation of a new NPA 721 in Sint Maarten begins with a permissive dialing period. During that time, either the current country code of 599 or NPA 721 will be accepted.
Key dates are:
9/30/2011: Permissive dialing begins; latest date for carriers to activate NPA 721.
9/30/2012: Mandatory NPA 721 dialing begins.
9/30/2013: Earliest date for end of recorded announcement.
Once the permissive dialing period ends, a recorded message will instruct callers to dial the correct country code (1) and area code (721). Country code 599 will continue to be used in Curacao, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire.
For network testing numbers and a map of the affected area, go to www.nanpa.com.
FCC Defends Release of Confidential Data
In June, I blogged about John Staurulakis, Inc. objecting to the release of its clients’ confidential information during the Universal Service Reform proceeding. The FCC has now ruled against the company’s objection and ordered data be released to the law firm Levine, Blaszak, Block and Boothby.
Click here to read the FCC’s order.

2011-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Facebook Adds Video Calling Feature

Millions of Facebook users can now use a video calling feature, powered by Skype, to chat with their friends. Facebook announced the new service Wednesday, a week after Google announced its new social networking project called Google+.

Skype’s new partnership will give the software provider access to Facebook’s 750 million users. Skype is a Luxembourg based company with 170 million users.

Microsoft, which owns a partial stake in Facebook, is in the process of acquiring Skype for $8.5 billion.

2011-07-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Pennsylvania Approves Access Charge Reform

Intrastate carrier access rates in Pennsylvania will be coming down as a result of a June 30 decision by the Public Utility Commission (PUC). It’s estimated to reduce access charges by $50 million for Interexchange Carriers.

The intrastate access rate will gradually be reduced to $2.50 per access line.
Local exchange carriers can recoup losses by increasing residential and business rates over a four-year period.
The PUC will begin a rulemaking proceeding to consider changes to the state’s Universal Service Fund.

The PUC’s latest move falls in line with the FCC’s National Broadband plan, part of which attempts to rebalance local service rates with actual costs, rather than being subsidized by customers’ long distance rates. The FCC’s plan also calls for the elimination of per-minute intercarrier compensation (ICC) charges over a ten-year period.

You can read more on my April 2010 blog about the effects of the National Broadband Plan on ICC.

Read the PUC press release here.

2011-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Law Firm Seeks Confidential ICC Data

On June 27, John Staurulakis, Inc. (JSI) filed a letter to block Levine, Blaszak, Block, and Boothby, LLC from gaining access to the confidential data of 63 companies. That information was submitted May 25 in response to an FCC request relating to Intercarrier Compensation Reform.

JSI contends the ICC data is confidential information that should only be viewed by the government. Release of the information would give competitors an unfair advantage over rural providers, because the data contains interstate and intrastate intercarrier compensation revenues, expenses, line counts and usage patterns.

2011-06-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

FCC Releases Annual Wireless Competition Report

The FCC on June 27 released its Fifteenth Report to Congress. The Communications Act mandates the FCC conduct an analysis of competition in the mobile wireless industry. This report analyzes data from 2009 and 2010 but reaches no conclusion about the state of competition.

2009 findings include:

The mobile wireless industry generated $154.7 billion in total service revenues.
Annual voice revenues declined for the first time by 4%.
Data revenues increased 28%.
Consumer prices did not decline for the first time since 1997.
The mobile wireless industry continues to consolidate.

The report also ranks the largest service providers in the country with details on revenue and number of subscribers. Read the full report at www.fcc.com.

2011-06-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 422 – North Carolina – NPA 984 to Overlay NPA 919
The North Carolina Utilities Commission will again begin implementing new area code 984 and mandatory 10-digit dialing, a process the NCUC deferred in 2001.
The implementation timeline is as follows:
10/01/2011 – Permissive 10-digit dialing begins.
10/30/2011 – Earliest date central office codes in new NPA can be ordered.
03/31/2012 – Permissive dialing ends and mandatory 10-digit dialing begins.
04/30/2012 – New 984 NPA becomes effective.
Network testing will run January 2012 through November 2012. The test number and rate center map can be found at www.nanpa.com.

2011-06-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday KFR Services!

This weekend marks 10 years since Tele-Tech Services was incorporated in South Carolina as KFR Services.

KFR’s diverse portfolio includes America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association, a member organization for boaters interested in the 6,000 mile Great Loop boat trip; to Atlantic Business Continuity Services, a consulting service providing continuity and disaster planning to businesses and cities.

Tele-Tech Services started it all in 1975 and today continues to provide innovative, money-saving database solutions for the telecommunications industry.

2011-06-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

NANPA notification of jeopardy condition removal – California

The California Public Utilities Commission has asked NANPA to remove area code jeopardy status and prefix rationing for the following numbers: 209, 323, 415, 530, 562, 619, 650, 707, 805, 916, 925 and 949.

The CPUC determined that most of the area codes would not be exhausted for another six to 23 years; and continued set aside would create unnecessary complications for numbering management.

The notice is effective immediately.

For more information, go to www.nanpa.com.

2011-06-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

FCC opens e-filing for all carriers

The FCC on Thursday, June 9, approved online tariff filing for competitive local providers and other nondominant carriers. In the past, only dominant local carriers were allowed to use the Electronic Tariff Filing System (ETFS). Therefore, CLEC’s submitted hundreds of filings each year by paper.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says the decision will not only streamline efficiencies, “it will also save a lot of trees.”

Once the new rule goes into effect, carriers have 60 days to make their first electronic filing. The new rule will likely become effective later this year.

For more information, go to www.fcc.gov.

2011-06-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 419 – Manitoba, Canada – NPA 431 to Overlay NPA 204
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRT ) directed that relief for Manitoba area code 204 be provided with an overlay of new area code 431. Communities in the province are Brandon, Dauphin, Portage La Prairie, Selkirk, Steinbach Thompson, Winkler and Winnipeg.
The implementation timeline is as follows:
7/29/2012 – Calls dialed with 7-digits will receive an announcement advising the number dialed must be preceded by its area code and that their call will now be connected.
11/03/2012 – Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins. Calls dialed with 7-digits will connect to a similar announcement as above, however, the call will not be connected. Instead, the caller will be instructed to redial using the area code. This announcement will remain until replaced by a “standard network announcement” beginning in February.
Network testing for all international and domestic carriers begins 4/30/2012. A complete list of test numbers, along with a detailed map showing affected areas can be found at www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 420 – Southern Ontario, Canada – NPA 365 to Overlay NPA 289/905
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) directed that relief for Ontario area codes 289/905 be provided through distributed overlay of new area code 365. Affected communities are Ajax-Pickering, Brampton Burlington, Hamilton, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Oakville, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, St. Catharines and Whitby.
The implementation timeline is as follows:
1/07/2013 – Network testing begins.
3/25/2013 – The new 365 NPA is introduced. It will not change dialing plans as all local calls will continue to be dialed with 10 digits..
A complete list of test numbers, along with a detailed map showing affected areas can be found at www.nanpa.com.

NECA Expo – September 11-15 – Chicago
The 2011 National Exchange Carrier Association Expo will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on the Riverwalk. Featured speaker is marketing and management expert Terry Brock. Session topics include access arbitrage, telecom regulation, Universal Service Fund payments and other industry related issues.
Early bird registration ends 08/01/2011. More information at www.neca.org.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 418 - Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles - NPA 721

2011-01-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

The Government of St. Maarten, NA, had previously been assigned the 721 NPA to serve St. Maarten (formerly under country code 599). The 721 NPA introduction will begin with permissive dialing (where either the 599 country code or 721 NPAs will be acceptable dialing). At the conclusion of the permissive dialing period, country code 599 will continue to be used in the rest of the Netherlands Antilles; and, incorrect country code dialed calls will be routed to a recorded message for correct dialing procedures.

PL 418 outlines an updated implementation timeline as follows:

09/30/11 -- Permissive Dialing Starts - and - Latest Date to Activate New NPA 721
03/31/12 -- End of Permissive Dialing - and - Start of New NPA Mandatory Dialing
03/31/13 -- Earliest Date for End of Recorded Announcement

The dialing plan for the 721 NPA will be:

Local Call Terminating to Home NPA (HNPA) (Sint Maarten) … 7-Digits
NANP Toll Call Terminating to Foreign NPA (FNPA) … 1 + 10-Digits
Operator Services (Including Credit Card, Collect and Third Party) Call Terminating to HNPA & FNPA … 0+ 10-Digits
International Local Call Terminating to Saint Martin (French) … 7-Digits

International and domestic carriers should ensure network-wide activation of the new 721 NPA prior to 9/30/11. Test numbers for routing verification will be announced at a later date.

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 417 - Wisconsin - NPA 274 to Overlay NPA 920

2010-12-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

Due to changes in the 920 NPA's projected exhaust date, on 11/15/10, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin postponed the previously approved 920-274 NPA overlay. The new 274 NPA will serve the same geographic locations currently served by the 920 area code, which generally covers the northeastern portion of Wisconsin (including Appleton, Beaver Dam, Berlin, Fond du Lac, Fort Atkinson, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Ripon, Sheboygan, Sturgeon Bay and Watertown).

PL 417 communicates the new timeline for implementation as recapped below:

05/04/13 -- Permissive 10-Digit Dialing Starts
08/22/13 -- Earliest Date to Order Central Office Codes for New NPA
01/25/14 -- Permissive Dialing Ends / Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing Begins
02/22/14 -- Earliest Date for New NPA Central Office Code Activation / Effective Date for New NPA

Effective 1/25/14 (mandatory 10-digit dialing), the dialing plan for 920 and 274 NPAs will be as follows:

Local, EAS and ECC Calls Terminating in Home NPA (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) … 10-Digits* (NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Toll Calls Terminating in HNPA or FNPA … 1+ 10-Digits (1+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Operator Services (Credit Card, Collect, Third Party) Calls Terminating in HNPA or FNPA … 0+ 10-Digits (0+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)

*1+10 digit permissible at service provider discretion

While 10-digit dialing is encouraged during the permissive period, subscribers may use either seven- or 10-digit calling in the overlay area during this time. And, it is always good practice for carriers to prepare their switches for 10-digits well in advance of the mandatory dialing conversion date. Additionally, international and domestic carriers should ensure the new 274 NPA has been activated network-wide prior to 2/22/14. (Test numbers for routing verification to the new NPA will be in effect 11/18/13 – 3/20/14 and are: 274-274-1274 for LATA 350 and 274-222-8378 for LATA 356.)

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 416 - Assignment of NPA 544 for Personal Communications Services (PCS)

2010-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

The 5YY NPA resource is "a non-geographic Service Access Code (SAC) used for personal communications services. In compliance with PCS guidelines governing 5YY NXX Code Assignment, prior Planning Letters (406 and 411) announced the exhaust of the 500 and 533 NPAs being utilized as the PCS NPAs, as well as, the designation of 544 as the next NPA for 5YY assignment. The recently released 416 PL announced the 12/15/10 initiation of NXX code assignments in the 544 NPA.

NANPA Rate Center Consolidation Notification -- Washington 509 BENGE and 360 PUGET IS

2010-12-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

The following rate center consolidations will be effective 3/5/11, per the Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission:

509 NPA -- The BENGE rate center will be consolidated under RITZVILLE. After consolidation, the WA 509-887 CENTURYTEL OF WASHINGTON, INC. DBA CENTURYLINK RITZVILLE central office code will be associated with the RITZVILLE rate center.
360 NPA -- The PUGET IS rate center will be consolidated under CATHLAMET. After consolidation, the WA 360-849 CENTURYTEL OF WASHINGTON, INC. DBA CENTURYLINK CATHLAMET central office code will be associated with the CATHLAMET rate center.

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 415 - Kentucky - NPA 270 NPA; 2-way Split, Creating 364 NPA - Relief Plan Cancelled

2010-12-17T06:53:00.001-08:00

In 2007, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (KY PSC) ordered a two-way geographic split as the relief method for the 270 NPA (serving the western portion of KY).

On 12/13/10, the KY PSC cancelled this relief plan. PL 415 advises of this cancellation and indicates that a new petition shall be filed at such time it is determined that methods must be undertaken to provide relief for the 270 NPA.

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 414 - Ontario, Canada - NPA 249 Overlay for NPA 705

2010-12-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

PL 414 was issued as advisement of a new carrier and test number options relative to the 249 NPA overlay for NPA 705. A bit of history on this overlay -- in 10/09, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had directed the relief for Ontario area code 705 to be provided (effective 3/19/11) through a distributed overlay of new area code 249.

The overlay timeline was identified as:

1/15/11 – Calls dialed with 7-digits will receive an announcement advising the number dialed must be preceded by its area code and that their call will now proceed (will be connected).
3/5/11 - Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins. Calls dialed with 7-digits will connect to a similar announcement as above, however, the call will not be connected; instead, the caller will be instructed to redial using the area code. This announcement will remain until replaced by "a standard network announcement" phased in mid-June ’11.

Dialing Plan for Calls Originating in NPA 705 and 249:

Local and Extended Area Service = 10-digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Toll and Alternatively Billed = 10-digits after the appropriate prefix digit(s).

Network testing began 11/15/10 for international and domestic carriers to ensure activation of the new 249 NPA. PL 414 was issued to advise of a new carrier and test number options. A complete listing of test numbers, along with a map showing geographic areas in this northern Ontario region served are available at www.nanpa.com.

Thanks from Tele-Tech!

2010-12-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

As we head into 2011, we wanted to take time to say a special and sincere thank you to those who've entrusted us with their data needs through the years.
We thank you for your business - and we would consider it a privilege to be of service in the future!

Toward that end, during 2011, we're offering a data deal that can provide significant savings. And, we're opening this offer to all current, former - and prospective clients!

We invite you to tell us all about any unresolved data needs you may have:

Do you need data to help resolve an issue within your company?
Is there a data set that would perfectly meet your needs if it could be tweaked a little?
Do you need specific information, but are not sure how to find it?

Share your data needs with us and tell us what your ideal data solution looks like. We love this stuff! We'll utilize our expertise to review your data dilemma, and if we can make it disappear (A.K.A.: develop a solution for your needs), we'll provide $1,500 credit towards customization fees.

Disappearing data dilemmas - brought to you by the Tele-Tech Data Difference.

A lighthearted way to say - we are here, and most happy to be of service!

Your Tele-Tech Team

Lessons Learned

2010-12-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

We wanted to share a learning experience that was maximized by our data team - and resulted in the development of a new screening system for our Lookup Tools.

During a recent research project for a customer, we discovered a particular
NPA/NXX needed to be assigned to a different rate center.

Now, even though this discrepancy was not an 'error' - and did not impact our
accuracy statistics that are reported for local calling - it was an opportunity to
further fine tune our research tools. And, being the data geeks that we are,
we jumped on the chance!

To make a long story short, our data team developed and set up a new monitoring tool that will help us to determine if there are possible rate center name change issues that need to be examined more closely. Data geeks thrive on this stuff!

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 413 - California - NPA 510 - Relief Plan Dismissed

2010-11-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

As a result of a September 9, 2010, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decision to eliminate rationing of the 510 area code, NANPA has rescinded the jeopardy status for this NPA. PL 413 was published as a means for NANPA to "reflect the NPA relief project for the 510 NPA as dismissed".

The 341 NPA, which had previously been designated as the overlay relief method for the 510 area code, will be retained by NANPA "as the reserved future NPA for the 510 area code unless otherwise specified by CPUC". At such time that NANPA determines relief is needed for the 510 NPA, it will initiate a new project and application with the CPUC.

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

Exhaust Projections

2010-11-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

NANPA recently posted their October 2010 NPA and NANP Exhaust Projections. Carrier forecast and utilization data (submitted "via the NRUF process") is considered during the exhaust analyses, as well as a series of NANP assumptions (which have been utilized in past studies).

A detailed outline of the analysis process and complete listing of assumptions utilized may be found on http://www.nanpa.com/; but, the end result is a projected exhaust date beyond the year 2040.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 412 - NPA 855 - Implementation Delayed

2010-10-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

PL 412 has been issued to advise that the opening of the 855 toll free NPA has been delayed (from 10/2/10 to 10/9/10) by the Wireline Competition Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This delay is intended to "to allow all Responsible Organizations (RespOrgs) time to review the FCCs allocation scheme and make any necessary preparations".
For additional information, visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 411 - Assignment of NPA 544 for Personal Communications Services (PCS)

2010-09-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

As outlined in PL 406, and continued observance of PCS guidelines governing 5YY NXX Code Assignment, NANPA has posted PL 411 as an industry notification regarding current supply. This notification is required six months before the exhaust of the PCS 5YY resource (which are presently the 500 and 533 NPAs); and, to inform that once 100% of the remaining 500/533 codes are assigned, the next PCS 5YY code will be available.

PL 411, utilizing current information regarding the available supply of 5YY NXXs, serves to notify of the revised exhaust date for 5YY resources, which is now expected to be fourth quarter of 2010. NANPA will continue to keep the industry updated regarding any modifications to this projection.

"The 5YY NPA resource is a non-geographic Service Access Code (SAC) used for personal communications services. As stated in the Personal Communications Services (PCS) 5YY NXX Code Assignment Guidelines, personal communication service is a set of capabilities that allows some combination of personal mobility, terminal mobility, and service profile management. It enables each personal communication service user to participate in a user-defined set of subscribed services, and to initiate and/or receive calls on the basis of some combination of a personal number, terminal number, and a service profile across multiple networks at any terminal, fixed or mobile, irrespective of geographic location."

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Notice - California 510, 559 and 626 NPAs

2010-09-24T08:14:00.001-07:00

NANPA recently issued notice advising of a letter received from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), "announcing the elimination of rationing and NANPA rescinding the jeopardy status for the California 510, 559 and 626 NPAs as of September 20, 2010. " The CPUC determined there is "no longer a need to continue the rationing for the 510, 559 and 626 NPAs. Effective immediately the jeopardy status for these NPAs is rescinded and these NPAs will no longer be included in the relief planning activities report."

NANPA Rate Center Consolidation Notification -- Washington 253 Arletta and Lakebay

2010-09-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

The Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission approved a 10/13/10 rate center consolidation merging the centers for Arletta and Lakebay into Fox Island's existing center. As such, the following central office codes will be associated with the Fox Island rate center as of 10/13/10:

WA 253-313 Comcast Phone of Washington/Oregon, LLC - WA Lakebay
WA 253-884 Centurytel of Washington, Inc., Lakebay
WA 253-265 Centurytel of Washington, Inc., Arletta
WA 253-649 Comcast Phone of Washington/Oregon, LLC - WA Arletta

For more information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 410 - Nebraska - NPA 531 to Overlay NPA 402

2010-09-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

On 6/30/09, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) approved an all services overlay of the new 531 NPA as the relief method for the 402 NPA. Both the existing 402 and new 531 NPAs will serve the eastern portion of Nebraska - including Bellevue, Columbus, Fremont, Hastings, Lincoln, Norfolk, Omaha, and Valentine. The PSC has also outlined an implementation scheduled for open-ended permissive 10-digit local dialing for the 308 NPA "to be placed in service coincident with the start of permissive dialing in the 402 NPA."

The implementation schedule outlined below was adopted on 9/15/09, with the Commission reserving the "ability to extend the permissive dialing period where it finds such extension is warranted and in the public interest." On 8/31/10, the Commission issued a letter advising that 531 NPA central office codes will not be available for NANPA assignment "until the level of remaining 402 NPA codes reaches ten".

531 Overlay Implementation:

6/26/10 – Start of permissive 10-digit dialing.
2/26/11 – End of permissive dialing and start of mandatory 10-digit dialing.
3/26/11 – Earliest new NPA central office code activation date.*
TBD** - Earliest date central office codes in the new NPA may be ordered through NANPA.

* Effective Date of the New 531 NPA
** Ten 402 Central Office Codes Remain

While callers may use seven-digit or 10-digit dialing during the permissive period, the latter is encouraged in preparation for implementation of mandatory 10-digit dialing. Also to prepare for the end of the permissive dialing, carriers should ensure their switches are ready to begin sending 10 digits prior to the mandatory dialing conversion date.

Please see PL-397 for complete details on the implementation of the 531 NPA. To access PL-397 and other information, visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 409 - Pennsylvania - NPA 272 to Overlay NPA 570

2010-08-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

An all services overlay was approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) on 7/15, as the relief method for the existing 570 NPA. The new NPA, 272, and the existing 570 NPA will serve northeastern Pennsylvania (including Scranton, Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre).

The Commission provided "unique implementation interval requirements" necessitating NANPA to "provide a monthly report on the projected exhaust date of the 570 NPA based on actual carrier demand. When the PUC determines the 570 NPA is within 3-months of exhaust it will notify the industry to start customer education and permissive dialing." As a result, the implementation timeline has yet to be determined, and the only date identified is for all network preparation to be completed no later than 3/1/11.

Once the timeframe is made available, the dialing plan for 570/272 ("coincident with the introduction of mandatory 10-digit dialing") will be as follows:

Local & Toll Calls Terminating in Overlay Home NPAs (HNPAs) … 10-Digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX)*
Local & Toll Calls Terminating in Foreign NPA (FNPA) Outside Overlay … 1+ 10-Digits (1+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Operator Services HNPA or FNPA Call … 0+ 10-Digits (0+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)

"*1+10 digit dialing for all HNPA and FNPA calls permissible at service providers discretion."

International and domestic carriers should ensure network-wide activation of the new 272 NPA. A test number for routing verification will be available 90-days prior to the new NPA effective date. NANPA will provide another planning letter once timeline dates have been established. To view a 570/272 NPA overlay rate center map, or for additional information, please visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 408 - Kentucky - NPA 270; 2-Way Split, Creating 364 NPA - Start of Permissive Suspended

2010-08-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

In 2007, a two-way geographic split was ordered by the Kentucky Public Service Commission (KY PSC) as the relief method for the 270 NPA (serving the western portion of KY).

PL 408 advises the KY PSC ordered a suspension to the 1/1/12 permissive dialing date. Additionally, it was ordered that the commission will continue monitoring 270 NPA developments in order to determine future relief efforts (including permissive dialing implementation dates). As a result, no dates are identified for the implementation of the 270 NPA split; and, the "mandatory dialing date shall remain open until further Order by the Commission".

For additional information, visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Rate Center Consolidation Notifications -- Utah 801/385; South Dakota 605

2010-08-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Utah - 801/385 Rate Center Consolidation under Midvale -- The Utah Public Service Commission approved an 11/16/10 rate center consolidation in which the rate centers for Holladay, Magna and Kearns will be merged into the Midvale rate center.

South Dakota - 605 Colman and Morristown Consolidations -- In two separate orders, the Public Utilities Commission of South Dakota ordered the following rate center consolidations, both to be effective 11/16/10:

Order TC 10-083: Approves consolidating Colman under the Flandreau rate center. The following central office codes currently assigned to the Coleman rate center will be associated with Flandreau as of 11/16/10: SD 605-530 Western Wireless Corporation-SD; SD 605-534 Qwest Corporation; SD 605-684 Knology of the Plains, Inc. SD.
Order TC 10-082: Approves merging the Morristown rate center with McIntosh. SD 605-524 Qwest Corporation central office code will be associated with the McIntosh rate center, instead of its current Morristown rate center, as of 11/16/10.

NANPA's separate notifications for the Utah and South Dakota rate center consolidations both included the following Central Office Code Administration reminder: "Also please note that in a rate center consolidation an SP must update its NRUF forecast and Appendix 1 in the new rate center(s) in order to receive resources in that rate center. Forecasts in the old rate center(s) will be deleted on the effective date of the consolidation. (Section 6.3.4 of the Central Office Code (NXX) Assignment Guidelines). Please note that service providers are not required to submit Part 1 forms to NANPA for these types of changes, per Section 6.3.4 of the Central Office Code (NXX) Assignment Guidelines). "

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 407 R1 (Superseding PL 407) -- NPA 855 Implementation Opening Revised

2010-08-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

The original PL 407 communicated the Wireline Competition Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) authorization to open the 855 toll free code effective 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time, 10/1/10.

PL 407 R1 informs of a 24-hour delay that has been issued, moving the effective date to 10/2/10, 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time. This delay is in response to a request by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions SMS/800 Number Administration Committee (SNAC), with the intent "to lessen the impact on regular customer activities that take place during the normal business week".

For more information, visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 407 -- NPA 855 Implementation Opening 10/1/10

2010-07-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Wireline Competition Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently authorized opening of the 855 toll free code effective 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time, 10/1/10. PL 407 provides a synopsis of activity leading to this decision, which we’ve highlighted below:

11/29/99 - The Industry Numbering Committee (INC) directed that 866 and 855 NPA codes would be assigned to supplement the existing toll free service NPAs (800, 888 and 877). In July 2000, the 866 NPA code went into service, with 855 NPA implementation deferred.
3/10/10 - Database Service Management, Inc. (DSMI), FCC’s designated administrator for toll free numbers, requested approval to release the 855 NPA no later than 4Q2011 based upon a utilization forecast.
5/27/10 - The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), on behalf of the SMS/800 Number Administration Committee (SNAC), indicated toll free number exhaust may occur by 1/2011 if not before. As such, ATIS suggested industry notification of the new 855 NPA to ensure efficient implementation.
6/25/10 - Based the most current analysis (indicating exhaust by 11/21/10), the FCC authorized DMSI to open the 855 toll free NPA on 10/1/10.

For more information, visit www.nanpa.com.

South Dakota Rate Center Consolidation

2010-07-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Effective 9/28/10, the following rate center consolidation will take place (per Order TC 10-024 from South Dakota's Public Utilities Commission): the LEAD, DEADWOOD, and WHITEWOOD rate centers will be consolidated under the SPEARFISH rate center.

Attacking Billing Disputes with Jurisdictional Data

2010-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

With permission from one of Tele-Tech’s valued clients, CDG (www.cdg.ws), we thought it might prove interesting to share a recent case study of Tele-Tech’s Localizer capabilities in this issue. The purpose of this study was to review the implementation of the CDG CABS jurisdictional functionality at a specific CLEC and show how it enhanced billing accuracy, minimized disputes, and subsequently optimized CABS collections success for Tele-Tech’s customers.

Many CLECs experience the frustration of dealing with costly billing disputes, the time-consuming task of resolving them, and often, the lack of results achieved through the process. And, many CLECs are short on available staff time to manage the arduous process, so money has to be allocated to consultants brought in to work towards resolution.

In fact, in 2007, one of CDG’s CLEC customers spent over $200,000 for consultants in this area. And, they estimate that about 25% of accounts were disputing invoices, with a major cause of the disputes attributable to jurisdictional issues. In many cases, interconnect partners were claiming that local traffic was being billed access charges, and while the CLEC disagreed, the company lacked the ability to prove the accuracy of its access bills.

Recognizing that the process of resolving disputes after bills were issued is costly and inefficient, the company shifted the focus to finding a front-end solution to the problem. Making their invoices more accurate would lead to fewer disputes, and fewer disputes would lead to savings in time and energy, as well as higher collection rates. It was time to mount an offensive strategy to put an end to costly disputes.

Searching for a solution, CDG’s customer turned to them, as their CABS provider, for help. For many years, CDG has teamed with Tele-Tech Services to properly jurisdictionalize traffic, making billing more accurate and disputes less frequent. Using Tele-Tech’s Localizer database, which gives highly accurate details on local calling areas nationwide, CDG was able to assess the jurisdiction of the traffic terminating on the customer’s network, separating local from long distance, before access invoices were generated.

Specific and positive results were soon obvious to CDG’s client. After adding to the process, the CLEC continued billing about the same amount in access charges. But, their ability to collect improved because they could "see the local traffic, account for it, and show it on the invoice." And when disputes do arise, the company has the data needed to resolve them quickly and accurately thanks to the Localizer data and the reporting capabilities CDG has built into its software. "We can visually see (the Localizer’s) impact on the flow of traffic, and CDG’s jurisdictional report has become a key tool for us in working disputes," explains a senior member of the billing team. "The biggest benefit is that we’ve gained visibility into truly local traffic. The ILEC doesn’t always jurisdictionalize calls properly. With Localizer, we’re able to confirm factors from other providers."

An added benefit is that the CLEC is now able to validate the factors set by their interconnect partners using CDG’s software with the Localizer data. Running their own jurisdictional analysis against call records enables them to determine the accuracy of those factors received from other providers and gives independent third-party documentation to support their findings.
By partnering with CDG and Tele-Tech, this CLEC was able to eliminate disputes and increase their collection percentage. "We’ve gained more confidence in the accuracy of our billing because of the detail provided by CDG and Localizer," says a senior vice president.

Third Time's the Charm...

2010-07-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

For the third consecutive year, Tele-Tech’s parent company, KFR Services, Inc., has been awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility*. This recognition is awarded to employers nationwide that are "successfully using flexibility to meet both business and employee goals".

The Sloan awards are presented based on a company’s ability to demonstrate that workplace flexibility is truly part of the corporate culture and the way in which business is conducted on a daily basis. To ensure an accurate picture is obtained, each company’s employees provide the truth factor by participating in a detailed evaluation of workplace flexibility as it’s experienced firsthand. And, for three years in a row, employee surveys (which are the final selection criteria) have resulted in KFR being named a Sloan recipient.

KFR’s culture of flexibility and focus provides an environment that enables a dedicated staff to achieve outstanding results. Current flexibility programs at KFR include a flexible work schedule, telecommuting opportunities, relaxed dress code – and, new parents may bring their babies to work for the first six months.

"It is extremely rewarding to know that our employees enjoy the flexibility we’ve built into our corporate culture and appreciate the steps we’ve taken to make KFR a great place to work. We have an amazing team, and providing a good work environment that takes into account the personal and professional needs of our staff enables us to achieve great things," stated Kimberly Russo, Co-President.

KFR will continue to look for ways to provide workplace flexibility in hopes that we may take the prize four years in a row. We’ll keep you posted.

*The Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility is part of When Work Works, a "national project on workplace effectiveness and workplace flexibility from Families and Work Institute in partnership with The Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation".

Planning Letter (PL) 406 - Assignment of NPA 533 for Personal Communications Services (PCS)

2010-07-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

In observance of PCS guidelines governing 5YY NXX Code Assignment, NANPA has posted PL 406 as an industry notification of the anticipated exhaust of the PCS 5YY resource in the first half of 2011. Once 100% of the remaining resource (500/533 NPAs) have been assigned, the next PCS 5YY code (544 NPA) will be available. For more information, visit www.nanpa.com.

Kentucky 270 NPA Jeopardy Rescinded

2010-05-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Based on review and assessment, NANPA has issued a new projected exhaust date of first quarter 2014 for Kentucky’s 270 NPA. After considering historic information and provider forecasts, NANPA anticipates the current supply (63 NXX codes) will be able to sustain until 1Q2014. As a result, and abiding by Central Office Code (NXX) Assignment Guidelines, NANPA rescinded the jeopardy of the KY 270 NPA.

Cancellation of NC 336 Rate Center Consolidation

2010-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Recent notification from NANPA's Central Office Code Administration indicates:
"On April 6, 2010, NANPA distributed a notification that the SOUTHMONT and WELCOME rate centers would be consolidated under the LEXINGTON rate center. NANPA HAS NOW BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS RATE CENTER CONSOLIDATION HAS BEEN CANCELLED."

NANPA First Quarter 2010 Updates

2010-04-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

In reviewing the First Quarter 2010 NANPA Newsletter, we found several items of interest and are recapping them for you below:

2009 NANP Resource Status Update

NPA Codes --
~~ Seven area codes were assigned in 2009: 938/Alabama, 849/Dominican Republic, 531/Nebraska, 579/Quebec, 721/Sint Maarten, 249/Ontario, and 327/Arkansas.
~~ Eight area codes went into service in 2009: 681/West Virginia, 385/Utah, 747/California, 849/Dominican Republic, 872/Illinois, 442/California, 475/Connecticut, and 533/relief of PCS 500.
Central Office Code Activity – 2,144 central office codes were assigned by NANPA, with 534 codes returned/reclaimed.

NANPA Nuggets

The "Numbering Resource Utilization in the United States" report, utilizing NRUF data of as of 6/30/09, was released by the FCC and can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/recent.html.
The FCC was notified by DSMI, the designated Toll Free Administrator, of the projected exhaust of current toll free numbers. Approval was requested to release the 855 NPA code, with an availability timeframe of no later than 4Q2011.
The 2009 NANPA Annual Report, which "provides an excellent summary of the status of all NANP resources, addresses NANPA’s quality assurance measurements, and includes a summary of numbering activities over the past year", is now available on NANPA’s website.

For more NANPA news and resources, visit http://www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Announces North Carolina 336 Rate Center Consolidation

2010-04-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Effective 7/1/10, the following rate center consolidation will take place in North Carolina:

The SOUTHMONT and WELCOME rate centers will be consolidated under the LEXINGTON rate center.
NC 336-798 SOUTHMONT will become 336-798 LEXINGTON
NC 336-537 SOUTHMONT will become 336-537 LEXINGTON
NC 336-731 WELCOME will become 336-731 LEXINGTON
NC 336-619 WELCOME will become 336-619 LEXINGTON

For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

Tele-Tech to Convene VoIP Customer Advisory Council

2010-04-05T09:40:00.001-07:00

As our presence in the VoIP market segment continues to grow, Tele-Tech is assembling current and potential customers from the VoIP arena to participate in our VoIP Customer Advisory Council. The group will have quarterly-virtual meetings to advise Tele-Tech on the use of our current databases in the VoIP industry, provide feedback on potential development of new data sets to meet the needs of this market, and provide a general discussion forum for issues related to VoIP billing and efficiently routing calls onto the PSTN.

Last year, Tele-Tech launched the first of our customer advisory groups to address Intercarrier Compensation issues. The success of that Council led us to broaden the scope of the program to add additional groups representing other segments of our customer base and the telecom industry.

If you’re interested in meeting with peers quarterly to discuss VoIP billing and PSTN interconnect ideas as part of Tele-Tech’s VoIP Customer Advisory Council, please contact Kimberly Russo at krusso@telecomdb.com.

The National Broadband Plan and Its Effect on Intercarrier Compensation

2010-04-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

The details of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan have been, for the most part, widely reported since its release in mid-March. But one part of the plan of critical importance to many Tele-Tech customers has garnered little media attention. The broadband plan calls for the elimination of per-minute intercarrier compensation (ICC) charges over a ten-year period.

Most would agree that the current system is unsustainable. The reduction in the number of minutes, arbitrage in the form of phantom traffic and traffic pumping, and the financial incentive to force IP traffic onto the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to collect access charges all lead to a system that is in need of improvement. The National Broadband Plan addresses these issues and presents a plan for reform.

In the plan, the FCC recommends a three-stage “glide path” that eliminates per-minute ICC charges within ten years and establishes interim solutions to taper arbitrage created by the inadequacies of the current system.

Stage one, which takes place in 2010 and 2011, is the planning period. During this period, the FCC expects to adopt a framework for long-term ICC reform that gradually lowers per minute rates until they hit zero.

During stage one, the FCC also recommends the development of interim rules to reduce arbitrage. As an example, the FCC mentions the possibilities of prohibiting carriers from masking or stripping information necessary for billing, and adopting rules to reduce access stimulation, also known as traffic pumping. No additional detail is included on how the FCC plans to prohibit these activities. Further, the plan calls for the FCC to address ICC rules related to VoIP traffic.

Stage two, taking place from 2012–2016, is when the reforms adopted during stage one will be implemented. Carriers’ intrastate terminating switched access rates, the highest of rates under the current regime, will be gradually reduced to a level equal to the current interstate terminating switched access rates over a period of two to four years. This can mean a 65% to 80% drop in per-minute charges for intrastate switched access depending on the type of carrier. After the intrastate rates have been reduced to interstate levels, the FCC could reduce interstate rates to reciprocal compensation rate levels. This is expected to result in equal per-minute terminating rates for all carriers.

Stage three takes place from 2017-2020. In this final stage, the plans expects that the “elimination of per-minute above-cost charges should encourage carriers to negotiate alternative compensation arrangements for the transport and termination of voice and data traffic.”

ICC is a major revenue stream for many carriers, particularly those serving rural areas. As per-minute ICC charges are phased out, the FCC plans to offset this revenue loss by allowing gradual increases in the subscriber line charge (SLC). And, federal subsidies will remain available under the newly created Connect America Fund (CAF). The plan states, “When calculating support levels under the new CAF, the FCC could impute residential local rates that meet an established benchmark. Doing so would encourage carriers and states to ‘rebalance’ rates to move away from artificially low $8 - $12 residential rates that represent old implicit subsidies to levels that are more consistent with cost.”

As we’ve seen in previous attempts to reform ICC, any plan is likely to be challenged. This time, the FCC recommends, within the plan, that Congress could amend the Communications Act to make the FCC’s authority to reform ICC explicit, which could reduce some of the legal challenges to the FCC’s planned actions.

We want to hear your thoughts on the FCC’s ICC reform plan. Please join the conversation and let us know what you think!

NANPA Annual Report

2010-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NANPA Annual Report is now available and may be accessed under the "Reports" option of NANPA’s website homepage (www.nanpa.com).

Okay - so we're not perfect!

2010-03-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

That’s right, sadly, our twenty-six months of 100% accuracy has come to an end. Now, I have to say, I’m still unbelievably proud that Tele-Tech achieved such a phenomenal milestone – and, I thank our team for all their efforts.

So - now we start again! A new challenge is on the horizon. Can we meet – even beat – our two-year record? Our path to perfection (again) begins; and, in doing so, we’ll take pause to examine what errors were found and how they occurred. This is what we’ve discovered thus far:

We found errors in our data for Extended Local Calling (ELC) exchanges in Texas. Here’s what happened – we pull ELC exchange information from the Texas Public Utilities Commission; and, unfortunately, the TX PUC didn't update the spreadsheet with a few specific exchanges, and a tariff update is not generally issued for the additional of a few ELC exchanges. The result is that we were not aware these ELCs were local until CenturyTel and Embarq merged and the new company, CenturyLink issued a new tariff on 1-1-10., The new tariff included the ELC exchanges in question. Since this discovery, we have been evaluating comparison tools and will incorporate the most effective in a filtering process to identify changes within new tariff documents.
An error in an extended metro calling area was not discovered during our normal internal verification process, and was therefore released to our live data set. Because we feel this instance to be a bit uncharacteristic, we find it a good example to incorporate into our mock calling area exercises for Tele-Tech researchers. Certainly, we hope to use this error as a learning experience; but, to ensure it doesn’t happen again, we have also implemented additional verification procedures.
Finally, errors were made because of a cross-state border exchange. Essentially, there is a Virgilina, VA, and a Virgilina, NC, with the same coordinates. Erroneously, we did not include Virgilina, NC, in the local calling areas for rate centers that included Virgilina, VA, as local calls. We are making both programming and reporting changes that will alert when there are rate centers with the same coordinates (but not included in the same calling area).

Now, we often reference our "Quality Story", and I’ll do so again by saying… we have a sincere believe in conducting a full examination of errors made! And, especially after going so long without any errors – we really wanted to get to the source of those recently discovered to ensure we put precautionary steps in place preventing reoccurrence. So…. we pulled that swinging spotlight out and we’re rotating our employees under the glare – kidding! BUT, we’re not kidding about our committed belief that examining errors is our best teacher in allowing us to determine how the error happened -- and, how to adjust our processes and/or software so that the same type of error cannot happen again.

So, we’re no longer at 100% perfect accuracy – but, we enjoyed the ride so much, we’re determined to take it again! And – as we say in our 12-step program for addiction to data quality, we strive to make successful processes repeatable…. so, we start anew, with our twenty-four month accuracy rating now at 99.94%.

Nebraska 308 Rate Center Consolidations

2010-03-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Update information received from NANPA on 3/15/10, is pasted below:
"Per the direction of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, Commission Order 4246, the following rate center consolidations will take place effective June 15, 2010. The HYANNIS, ARTHUR, ASHBY, BINGHAM and WHITMAN rate centers will be consolidated under the HYANNIS rate center. The MERNA and ANSELMO rate centers will be consolidated under the MERNA rate center. The THEDFORD, BREWSTER, BROWNLEE, DUNNING, HALSEY, PURDUM and SENECA rate centers will be consolidated under the THEDFORD rate center. "

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) 404 - Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles - 721 NPA Delay

2010-03-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Government of St. Maarten, NA, has requested a delay for the introduction of the 721 NPA. Previously, PL 396 outlined a timeline targeting 5/31/10 for this introduction, but no current information is available regarding a new implementation schedule. For more information, please visit www.nanpa.com.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 403 - Oklahoma - NPA 539 to Overlay NPA 918

2010-03-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission approved an all services overlay as the relief method for the 918 NPA area on 1/4/10. The new 539 NPA will serve the same eastern portion of the state currently covered by the 918 NPA (including communities such Bartlesville, Clayton, Cushing, Fairfax, McAlester, Miami, Muskogee, Okemah, Poteau, Sallisaw, Tahlequah and Tulsa). The overlay timeline was identified as:

08/07/10 – Start of Permissive 10-Digit Dialing
10/01/10 – Earliest Date to Order Central Office Codes in New 539 NPA
03/05/11 – End of Permissive Dialing and Start of Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing
04/01/11 – Earliest New NPA Central Office Code Activation date; and, Effective Date of the New 539 NPA

Although subscribers may use either seven- or 10-digit dialing for local calls within the overlay area during the permissive dialing period, 10-digit dialing is encouraged. Additionally, when preparing for overlay area code relief, carriers are strongly encouraged to prepare their switches to begin sending 10-digits prior to the mandatory 10-digit dialing conversion date for customers.

The dialing for both 918 and 539 NPAs will be as follows:
~ Local Home NPA (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) Call … 10-Digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Toll HPNA or FNPA Call … 1+ 10-Digits (1+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Operator Services HNPA or FNPA Call … 0+ 10-Digits (0+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)

International and domestic carriers should ensure network-wide activation of the new 539 NPA prior to 4/1/11. Verification of proper routing may be tested from 1/4/11 through 5/2/11 by dialing 539-539-1539. For additional information, visit www.nanpa.com.

Georgia 678 NPA-NXX Codes Exhausted

2010-03-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

On 2/26/10, NANPA announced that all assignable NXX codes in the Georgia 678 NPA have been utilized. As such, service providers may now request NXX codes in the Georgia 470 overlay NPA code.

NANPA Planning Letter (PL) Number 402 - New York NPA 929 to Overlay NPA 718/347

2010-02-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

The State of New York Public Service Commission approved an all services overlay as the relief method for the 718/347 NPA area on 12/16/09. The new 929 NPA will serve the same geographic locations currently covered by 718/347, which includes the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island areas of New York. The overlay timeline was identified as:

07/16/10 – Start of Network Preparation and Customer Education
10/16/10 – Earliest Date to Order Central Office Codes in New 929 NPA
03/19/11 – Completion of Network Preparation
04/16/11 – Earliest New NPA Central Office Activation Date; and, Effective Date for New 929 NPA

Ten-digit dialing is already in existence for this area, so a permissive dialing period is not applicable. The dialing plan for the 718/347 and new 929 NPA is:

Local Home NPA* (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) Call … 1 + 10-Digits (1 + NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Toll FNPA Call … 1+ 10-Digits (1+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Operator Services HNPA or FNPA Call … 0+ 10-Digits (0+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
* Permissively as 10 digits (Home NPA-NXX-XXXX)

International and domestic carriers should ensure network-wide activation of the new 929 NPA prior to 4/16/11. Verification of proper routing may be tested from 12/14/10 through 7/11/11 by dialing 929-222-9901. For additional information, visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Planning Letter 400 - Arkansas - NPA 327 to Overlay NPA 870

2010-01-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

An all services overlay to implement NPA 327 as the relief method for the existing 870 NPA was approved by the Arkansas Public Service Commission on 12/11/09. Both NPAs will serve the northern, eastern and southern portion of Arkansas. The overlay timeline was identified as:
~ 04/21/12 -- 13-Month Timeline Begins
~ 10/20/12 -- Permissive 10-Digit Dialing Starts
~ 11/18/12 -- Earliest Date to Order Central Office Codes for New 327 NPA
~ 04/20/13 -- Permissive Dialing Ends / Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing Begins
~ 05/18/13 -- Earliest Date for New NPA Central Office Code Activation / Effective Date for New 327 NPA

Effective 4/20/13 (mandatory 10-digit dialing), the dialing plan for 870 and 327 NPAs will be as follows:
~ Local Home NPA (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) Call … 10-Digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Toll HNPA or FNPA Call … 1+ 10-Digits (1+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Operator Services HNPA or FNPA Call … 0+ 10-Digits (0+ NPA-NXX-XXXX)

While 10-digit dialing is encouraged during the permissive period, subscribers may use either seven- or 10-digit calling in the overlay area during this time. And, it is always good practice for carriers to prepare their switches for 10-digits well in advance of the mandatory dialing conversion date. Additionally, international and domestic carriers should ensure the new 327 NPA has been activated network-wide prior to 5/18/13. (Test numbers for routing verification to the new 327 NPA will be in effect 2/16/13 – 7/20/13 and are: 327-639-8378 for LATA 528; 327-327-1327 for LATA 530.)

For additional information, visit http://www.nanpa.com/.

NANPA Fourth Quarter 2009 Update

2010-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

In reviewing NANPA’s recently released fourth quarter ’09 update, we found several items of interest and are recapping them for you below:

Area Code Relief Activity

Alabama – Permissive 10-digit dialing for the existing 256 NPA/938 overlay began 11/7/09, with mandatory 10-digit dialing set to begin on 6/5/10. (See PL-389) Additionally, Jeopardy status for the 256 area code was rescinded by NANPA on 11/23/09, as it was no longer necessary.
California – Mandatory 1+ 10-digit dialing for the new 442 NPA began 10/24/09; thus, completing the overlay for the 760 area code. (See PL- 381)
Connecticut – The 203 NPA overlay was complete on 12/12/09, which was the effective date for the new 475 area code. (See PL-388) With the implementation of the 475 area code overlay, the neighboring 860 NPA’s dialing plan was also impacted. Ten-digit dialing is now required for local calls within and outside of the 860 NPA (all toll calls require 1+ 10-digit dialing).
Illinois – On 11/7/09, mandatory 1+ 10-digit dialing began for the new 872 NPA, completing the overlay for 312 and 773 NPAs. (See PL-392)
Nebraska – June 26, 2010, is the date set for 10-digit permissive local dialing to begin in the 402 and 531 area codes. The new 531 area code has been assigned as an overlay for the 402 NPA. Mandatory 10-digit dialing will begin 2/26/11. An open-ended 10-digit permissive local dialing for the adjacent 308 NPA starts on June 26, 2010 as well. (see PL-397)
Oregon – Mandatory 10-digit dialing for the new 458 NPA began 1/10/10, this new area code is serving as the overlay for the 541 NPA. (See PL-383)
Pennsylvania – NANPA filed a relief petition recommending an overlay for Pennsylvania’s existing 717 NPA on 10/20/09.
Wisconsin – Permissive seven- or 10-digit dialing began on 10/17/09 for the new 534 NPA, which serves as the overlay for the 715 NPA. Mandatory 10-digit dialing is set to begin 7/17/10. (See PL-384)

NANPA Nuggets:
~ The FCC exercised the six-month option in the NANPA contract on 1/8/10, making the contract effective through 7/8/10.
~ The North American Numbering Council (NANC) charter has been renewed through September 25, 2011.

Now available on NANPA’s website:

In the "Reports" section…
-- Central office codes from the PCS 533 NPA code are now being assigned by NANPA. Access via the "5YY-NXX" link on the NANPA reports page.
-- An updated "NPA Dialing Plans" report for all US in-service geographic area codes (reflecting the recent implementation of new NPAs in California, Connecticut and Illinois) is available. Access via the "NPA" link on the NANPA reports page.
In the "Tools" section…
-- The most current NAS training guides available (several have recently been updated). Access via the "NAS Training Guides" link on the tools page.

How much NPA knowledge do you have? We found these "Did you know?" questions interesting…

Q. Which states have the most NPAs?
A. California with 30, followed by Texas (24), Florida (17), and New York (14).

Q. Which states have the most NPA overlay complexes?
A. California, Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts each have 4 overlay complexes.

Q. How many geographic splits have been implemented in the last five years?
A. Two – California 909/951 and New Mexico 505/575.

Q. How many NPA overlays have been implemented in the last five years?
A. Nineteen.

Q. How many single NPA states are there?
A. Ten: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont."

For more NANPA news, visit http://www.nanpa.com.

What is an error?

2010-01-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

As readers of this blog and our website are well aware, Tele-Tech is very public about our level of accuracy and our quality statistics. While we usually consider accuracy to be black and white, a recent customer challenge to one of our local calling areas left us in a somewhat gray area.

When we checked the local calling area data questioned by the customer against the incumbent local exchange carrier tariff that defines the local calling areas, our data was correct. However, we reached out to our contact at the ILEC and found that the customer was right! A mistake had been made in the tariff.

Here's the gray area. We commit to being accurate per the source tariff material. Many of our customer agreements guarantee that our data be consistent with the tariff. So...

Should this "error" count against us in our quality stat?...OR...Should this "error" not count against us because we matched the tariff?

We debated these questions internally and considered our options carefully. We concluded that tariff errors are extremely rare, and therefore it is not practical or necessary for us to check the accuracy of each tariff with its carrier. Since we measure ourselves and our accuracy against the source tariff material, and that material is reliable except in extremely rare circumstances, we did not count this error in our accuracy stats.

Tell us what you think. Was this an error or not? Add an entry to this blog.

Attention Wireless Carriers and CLECs Offering Lifeline Service...

2010-01-07T08:32:00.001-08:00

Are you concerned about the accuracy of the Lifeline reimbursement claims you're submitting to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)? USAC says, "Carriers should keep in mind that the interstate SLC rates contained in the interstate access tariffs may be revised at any time, so it is important to confirm that the carrier is reporting the most current data." Tele-Tech's database of the SLC rates can help you submit accurate claims based on the most current rates, keep you in compliance, and help you through a USAC audit. Learn more by contacting Kim Russo at krusso@telecomdb.com or 800-433-6181 x7103.

Tele-Tech Announces Intercarrier Compensation Customer Advisory Council

2010-01-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

We’re proud to announce that we have invited several key customers to join our newly formed Intercarrier Compensation Customer Advisory Council. This group will provide feedback and discuss industry trends as they apply to carrier access billing, reciprocal compensation, and related compensatory issues.

"We chose clients to join this group based on their industry knowledge and ability to look to the future of intercarrier compensation," said Kimberly Russo, Co-President of Tele-Tech’s parent company, KFR Services, Inc. "The intercarrier billing environment is changing more now than ever, and we want to bring together a group of respected experts to discuss the implications of newer technologies and regulatory reform," Russo said.

The council will meet quarterly and discuss issues specific to Tele-Tech’s jurisdictional databases as well as hot topics such as intercarrier billing for wireless service providers, the increasingly poor quality of call detail records, and regulatory reform.

The members of the Tele-Tech Intercarrier Advisory Council are:

Robert Allen, CABS Manager – Cox Communications
Janice Gallagher, Service Manager, Customer Relations – AT&T
Robert Johnson, President - Ameliowave
Jon Jones, President/CEO – Data Tech, Inc.
Stan Redden, Vice President, Product Development - CDG

NPA Relief Projects - Status Report

2009-12-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

As 2009 draws to a close, NANPA has published a report reflecting the 12/01/09 status of pending NPA relief projects. The summary, in PDF format, provides easy review of NPA projects by state, along with a description of action, trigger points and current status.

To review this document please use the following link: http://www.nanpa.com/relief_planning/triggers/NPA_Triggers_120109.pdf

Tele-Tech Reaches Accuracy Milestone!

2009-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

For those of you who’ve read our "Quality Story" – you know we’re a little obsessed with high quality data around here. And, if you’ve not read Tele-Tech’s page-turning "Quality Story" – click here to check it out (really, why does no one believe me?... it IS a page-turner!)!! Anyway… as admitted addicts to data quality, we’ve just achieved a huge milestone: two years of 100% data accuracy!!!

That’s right, with the close of October, we’ve had 24 consecutive error-free months of data! What this means is… over the past two-solid years, we did not introduce one-single byte of erred information into the local calling area data we provided! "What an accomplishment! When we started our data quality journey, striving to create a system and culture where errors could not be introduced into our data, it seemed an admirable but perhaps unattainable goal. Now many years into the process it seems that our diligent work is getting us ever closer to achieving this goal", stated Co-President Stephanie Fetchen.

Now, for perspective – I'll elaborate a bit about our data quality measurements: to ensure the most accurate reflection – and to keep us on our toes – we literally have a moving target when it comes to measuring our data quality. To obtain the truest picture, our quality system tracks errors back to the month in which they occurred (versus month found).

In fact, let me see if I can give an example without making things clear as mud… we have had a couple of customer reported errors during the past two years. BUT, the reported errors were tracked to the months in which they were made; and, the months in which those errors were made were prior to the past 24 months. Thus, mussing up data quality stats for a period prior to the past 24 months… and, with no reported errors made during this current 24-month period – we have two years of 100% data accuracy!!!

Linda Chugon, Director of Operations and Customer Service, summed it up by saying, "We're so excited about, and proud of, our 100% quality for two years straight! This wasn't, and will never be, an ‘easy’ task but it's one we are up for and will work diligently to achieve again!" Now, Linda didn’t mention the couple of days of happy-hall dancing that took place around here… but that’s because she’s too dignified. Personally, I’m still dancing!

Exhaust Projections

2009-11-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

NANPA recently posted their October 2009 NANP Exhaust Projections. Carrier forecast and utilization data (submitted "via the NRUF process") is considered during the exhaust analyses, as well as a series of NANP assumptions, which have been consisted in past studies.

A detailed outline of the analysis process and complete listing of assumptions utilized may be found on www.nanpa.com; but, the end result is a projected exhaust date beyond the year 2039.

AT&T Takes Aim at Google

2009-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Are Intercarrier Compensation Inequities the Cause?

When AT&T complained to the Federal Communications Commission last month that Google Voice was blocking calls to certain rural numbers which Common Carriers are required to complete, a number of different issues were at play: whether Google Voice is an "information service", exempt from regulation, or a regulated "telecommunications service"; whether telecommunications services should be less regulated; whether information services should be more regulated; and even net neutrality. But at the heart of the issue is really intercarrier compensation and its need for reform.

The issue started with "traffic pumping", a practice whereby rural local exchange carriers (LECs) recruit customers with extremely high inbound traffic (think call centers and chat lines). Each time a caller connects to those call centers or chat lines, the caller’s phone company must pay terminating access charges of as much as $0.05 per minute to the rural carrier. The rural LECs, in turn, were found to be sharing their windfall with the call center or chat line they had recruited, making a lucrative situation for both parties.

While traffic pumping is certainly an ethical violation, it is not illegal. But it does generate millions of dollars in access revenue. Service providers like AT&T and Verizon fought to be able to block calls to suspected traffic pumpers, but were denied that ability by the FCC. Instead, the FCC’s current recommendation to prevent or reduce traffic pumping is to ban service providers from sharing access charges with their customers, removing the incentive for companies with large amounts of lengthy inbound calls to sign-up with the rural LEC in the first place.

So when Google Voice admitted to blocking calls to certain rural numbers, AT&T cried foul, arguing that it is at a disadvantage if it continues to be required to abide by regulations that other service providers are not bound to obey. Google, on the other hand, argues that it is an application provider rather than a service provider, and therefore is exempt from the regulations written for telecommunications services. In fact, Google Voice requires another phone service (like landline, wireless, or VoIP) in order for it to work.

But if regulators reform the out-dated intercarrier compensation rules, this dispute, and many others, is solved. Without the inflated terminating access charges paid to the rural carriers, traffic pumping stops, and AT&T and Google Voice would no longer want to block those calls.

But overhauling intercarrier compensation is a daunting task, and with no solution having a clear ability to appease everyone, the FCC has been slow to act. There are, after all, hundreds of rural LECs that rely on high access rates to stay in business, and are not taking advantage of the regulations by engaging in activities like traffic pumping. But as technology continues to forge ahead, a regulatory framework devised 25 years ago falls further and further behind. Reforming the intercarrier compensation rules has the potential to resolve some of the industry’s most pressing issues if a comprehensive solution can be developed.

Planning Letter 398

2009-10-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

As directed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), relief for Ontario area code 705 will be provided through a distributed overlay of new area code 249, which is scheduled to begin 3/19/11.

Overlay Timeline:

9/19/10 – Central office codes within NPA 249 may be assigned to Telecommunications Service Providers (TSPs) – but may not be activated prior to the 3/19/11 relief date.
11/15/10 –
~ Start date for network testing (test numbers available through April/May ‘11).
~ Recommended date by which all international and domestic Telecommunications Service Providers should ensure the new 249 NPA is activated system wide.
1/15/11 – Calls dialed with 7-digits will receive an announcement advising the number dialed must be preceded by its area code and that their call will now proceed (will be connected).
3/5/11 - Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins. Calls dialed with 7-digits will connect to a similar announcement as above, however, the call will not be connected; instead, the caller will be instructed to redial using the area code. This announcement will remain until replaced by "a standard network announcement" phased in mid-June ’11.

Dialing Plan for Calls Originating in NPA 705 and 249:

Local and Extended Area Service = 10-digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX)
Toll and Alternatively Billed = 10-digits after the appropriate prefix digit(s).

A map showing geographic areas served, test numbers, as well as additional details are available at www.nanpa.com.

Planning Letter 397

2009-10-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

An all services overlay has been approved by the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC), implementing the new 531 NPA as the relief method for the existing 402 NPA. The PSC has also outlined an implementation scheduled for open-ended permissive 10-digit local dialing for the 308 NPA “to be placed in service coincident with the start of permissive dialing in the 402 NPA.” The schedule, outlined below, may be extended by the PSC should it deem the extension “warranted and in the public interest.”

Relief Plan Implementation:

6/26/10 – Start of permissive 10-digit dialing.
9/26/10 – Earliest date central office codes in the new 531 NPA may be ordered through NANPA.
2/26/11 – End of permissive dialing and start of mandatory 10-digit dialing.
3/26/11 – Earliest new NPA central office code activation date; and effective date of the new 531 NPA.

While callers may use 7-digit or 10-digit dialing during the permissive period, the latter is encouraged in preparation for implementation of mandatory 10-digit dialing. Also to prepare for the end of the permissive dialing, carriers should ensure their switches are ready to begin sending 10 digits prior to the mandatory dialing conversion date.

402 and 531 NPA Dialing Plan (coincident with mandatory 10-digit dialing) -- Calls Terminating in Home NPA (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) Dialing Plans by Call Type:
~ Local and EAS = 10-digits (NPA-NXX-XXX)
~ Toll = 1+10-digits (1+NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Operator services (credit card, collect or third party) =0+10-digits (0+NPA-NXX-XXXX)

308 NPA Open-Ended Dialing Plan (coincident with permissive 10-digit dialing) -- Calls Terminating in Home NPA (HNPA) or Foreign NPA (FNPA) Dialing Plans by Call Type:
~ Local and EAS = 7-digits (NXX-XXX) or 10-digits (NPA-NXX-XXX)
~ Toll = 1+10-digits (1+NPA-NXX-XXXX)
~ Operator services (credit card, collect or third party) =0+10-digits (0+NPA-NXX-XXXX)

Beginning 12/13/10, test numbers will be available and it is recommended that all international and domestic carriers use these to ensure the new 531 NPA has been activated throughout their systems prior to 3/26/11. For additional information, please visit www.nanpa.com.

Planning Letter 396

2009-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Government of St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, had requested, and was granted, entry into the NANP. The new 721 NPA has been assigned to serve St. Maarten (previously under country code 599), with the introduction timeline as follows:
5/31/10 –
~ Start of permissive dialing (the new NPA or current 599 country code may be used for a dialed number terminating in St. Maarten).
~ The latest date for all international and domestic carriers to activate 721 NPA. A test number for verification of 721 activation will be provided at a later date.
11/30/10 –
~ End of permissive dialing and start of mandatory dialing of the new NPA.

Once the permissive dialing period ends, calls dialed with the 599 country code will receive a recorded message instructing callers to dial the correct country (1) and area code (721). The new 721 NPA will only be in effect for St. Maarten, the remainder of the Netherlands Antilles will continue to use country code 599. For more information, please visit www.nanpa.com.

KFR Sponsors Razorsight Conference

2009-09-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

KFR, Tele-Tech’s parent company, was pleased to be the Platinum Sponsor of the annual Razorsight Users' Conference September 16–18, 2009, in Washington D.C. While Razorsight has traditionally focused on network cost analysis, its recent acquisition of Single Tusk and move toward usage-based analytics makes Tele-Tech's data particularly advantageous for Razorsight's customer base.

KFR Co-Presidents Stephanie Fetchen and Kim Russo attended the conference. While there, they met with clients and colleagues in the Washington D.C. area to discuss how our data is performing in their environment; as well as reviewing the potential benefits of utilizing our data with new contacts.

Universal Service/Low Income Support Database

2009-09-21T11:49:00.001-07:00

We're pleased to announce our newest database, developed to serve our CLEC and wireless customers that are offering Lifeline service to low-income subscribers. Our End User Access Line (EUCL) Database gives the tariffed EUCL rate for each incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) in each state. The database shows the rate at which the Universal Service Fund (USF) Administrator will reimburse a service provider in exchange for that service provider reducing rates to low-income subscribers. Our customers use this data to submit accurate requests for reimbursement to the USF Administrator, since they must be reimbursed at the rate tariffed by the ULEC. Submitting inaccurate calculations of the amount due to the USF Administrator can lead to audits, which may potentially result in penalties.

Local exchange carriers have typically reduced their standard line charges by the amount available for reimbursement by the USF when serving eligible low-income subscribers. But a new trend among prepaid wireless service providers is to offer low-income subscribers free service, and to be compensated only at the amount available from the Universal Service Fund. The EUCL rate is currently capped at $6.50 per month.

The USF is funded through mandatory contributions from service providers and is currently set at 12.9% of revenue collected for interstate traffic. Generally, providers pass through these charges to customers as a fee on their phone bills. The total amount currently contributed to the USF each quarter is in excess of $18 billion. In addition to subsidizing low-income subscribers, the USF offers reimbursement to companies serving rural areas where the costs of providing service to small numbers of subscribers is very high. It also provides funds to subsidize Internet service in schools and libraries.

KFR's EUCL database includes supporting tariff pages and documentation to be used in the event of an audit by the USF Administrator.

Please call Kim Russo at 800-433-6181 x7103 or email krusso@telecomdb.com for more information.

Tele-Tech Stats Update

2009-09-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

As you may be aware, we use this blog to provide information on errors found in our local calling area data that do not meet the criteria to be included in our publicly reported accuracy stats, generally because the error was made prior to the time period on which we report. Recently, we discovered an error in the area of Quincy, IL. A special circumstance where telephone subscribers in Quincy, IL, can call subscribers in one specific NXX in the St. Louis, MO, rate center (but not the remainder of the St. Louis rate center) was not properly reflected in our database. This problem has been corrected. The error dates to more than 2 years ago, so it is not included in our home page stat that shows errors introduced into the database in the past 24 months.

Quality Update

2009-09-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

We've decided to use this space to report on occasional discrepancies in our local data that do not show up in our local calling accuracy stat because the problem was not in the actual local calling area data.

This report involves a specific area in Missouri where a customer can subscribe to a very large local calling area at a higher monthly fee. We had identified this local calling area as optional in our data. However, customers that select this local calling plan are assigned a special NXX. Therefore, for customers in that NXX, this is not an optional plan. We have changed our database to more accurately reflect this.

As always, we want to hear from you. Let us know if you have any questions.

Planning Letter 395

2009-08-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

NANPA recently added Planning Letter 395 to its site, outlining the 579 NPA overlay for Quebec area code 450. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) designated a relief date of 8/21/10 for implementation of this distributed overlay. The service area for NPA 450 (and new 579) includes Quebec communities of Joliette, Granby, St-Hyacinthe, St-Jérôme, St-Lambert, Longueuil, Valleyfield, Ste-Thérèse, Sorel, Boucherville, Chomedey, St-Jean, Pont-Viau, and Laval-Ouest.

No dialing plan changes will occur when the new 579 NPA is implemented. The dialing plan was outlined in the 395 Planning Letter as: "all local calls including Extended Area Service calls will be dialed with 10 digits; toll and alternatively billed calls will be dialed with 10 digits after the appropriate prefix digit(s)".

In preparation for the 8/21/10 579 NPA activation:
~ 2/21/10 is set as the date service providers may begin assigning NXX Codes within the 579 NPA
~ 6/19/10 will be the start of network testing, by which time all international and domestic service providers should have ensured the new 579 NPA is activated system wide

For a list of test numbers or more information regarding the new 579 NPA overlay, visit http://www.nanpa.com.

Relief Planned for NPA 500

2009-08-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Industry Numbering Committee (INC) has agreed that the 533 NPA will be used to relieve the 500 NPA, which is forecasted to exhaust in second quarter 2009.

The 500 NPA is a "non-geographic Service Access Code (SAC) used for personal communications services." According to the Personal Communications Services (PCS) (5YY) NXX Code Guidelines, "personal communication service is a set of capabilities that allows some combination of personal mobility, terminal mobility, and service profile management. It enables each personal communication service user to participate in a user-defined set of subscribed services, and to initiate and/or receive calls on the basis of some combination of a personal number, terminal number, and a service profile across multiple networks at any terminal, fixed or mobile, irrespective of geographic location."

While the activation date for NPA 533 has yet to be determined, further details regarding this relief plan may be found in Planning Letter 394 (which supersedes Planning Letter 382), at http://www.nanpa.com/.

Illinois Overlay

2009-08-20T07:04:00.001-07:00

In 1999, an all-services overlay was approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) as the relief method for the 312 and 773 NPAs. Ten years later, implementation of NPA 872 is finally getting underway.

Relief Plan Timeline:
~ 08/7/09 -- Start of permissive 1+10-digit dialing
~ 11/7/09 -- End of permissive dialing and start of mandatory 1+10-digit dialing and earliest 872 NPA central office code activation date

The relief plan calls for mandatory 1+10 digit dialing for all direct dialed calls from NPAs in the overlay area. Permissive dialing allows subscribers to dial local calls within the overlay area on either a 7-digit or 1 plus 10-digit basis, with the 1 plus 10-digits being encouraged to prepare customers for the mandatory dialing requirement. Additionally, carriers are strongly encouraged to prepare their switches to begin sending 10 digits prior to the mandatory 1 plus 10-digit dialing customer conversion date.

For more details, please visit www.nanpa.com.

Nebraska Overlay

2009-08-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) recently approved an all services overlay for the 402 NPA, with the new 531 NPA serving the same geographic areas (service cities include Bellevue, Columbus, Fremont, Hastings, Lincoln, Norfolk, Omaha, and Valentine). While there will be a permissive dialing period (where subscribers may dial local calls within the overlay area using either 7- or 10-digits) prior to the mandatory 10-digit dialing, there are no implementation dates established at this time.

NANPA has added the Planning Letter 393 Nebraska to their website, if you would like additional information, please visit www.nanpa.com.

Telephone Subscriber Report

2009-08-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Three times annually, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updates reported information regarding United States telephone subscribership levels. Using 2009 Census Bureau Current Population Survey (CPS) statistics, the most recent update was just released, and identifies subscriber levels by state, income level, race, age, household size, and employment status.

The statistical summary below was offered in the 8/13/09 FCC Press Release as a sampling of the detail available in the complete report.

"In March 2009:
~~ The telephone subscribership penetration rate in the U.S. was 95.6%, an increase of 0.4% over the rate from March 2008. This is the highest reported rate since the CPS began collecting this data in November 1983.
~~ The telephone penetration rate for households in income categories below $15,000 was at or below 92.7%, while the rate for households in income categories over $40,000 was at least 97.9%.
~~ Among the states, the penetration rates ranged from a low of 92.3% to a high of 98.7%.
~~ Penetration rates ranged from 91.5% for households headed by a person under 25 to at least 96.5% for households headed by a person over 55.
~~ Households with one person had a penetration rate of 93.4%, compared to a rate of 97.0% for households with four or five persons.
~~ The penetration rate for unemployed adults was 94.9%, while the rate for employed adults was 96.6%."

To view or download this report, visit http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/stats.

July Accuracy Stats

2009-08-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

The stats are in! And once again in July, Tele-Tech expert researchers and analysts did not make a local calling area error that was found by a customer after delivery. Our 24-month accuracy rate for our local calling data is 99.998%!

While customers sometimes do find errors, we traced the last one back to when it was made, and it was over 2 years ago.

Helping new business grow…

2009-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

For a new business, funding startup costs can be quite overwhelming; and, often just having office accommodations and operational support can be the success factor for budding entrepreneurs. Well, as a family business that just transitioned to its second generation, Tele-Tech’s parent company, KFR Services, Inc., decided to take steps to offer assistance to entrepreneurs in our community.

In a less-than-stellar economy, KFR is striving to foster new business growth by offering accommodations and operational support to local start-up companies through an application process. Recognizing that a difficult economy and high unemployment may actually inspire those with an entrepreneurial spirit to venture out and start their own business, KFR is hoping to be able to provide assistance that just may be the success factor to selected entrepreneurs.
To learn more about this program visit http://www.kfrservices.com/

Local Telephone Competition

2009-07-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) and facilities-based mobile telephony providers to submit information to the FCC so that the state of competition in the industry may be analyzed. On 7/23/09, the FCC released statistics reflecting the submitted data as of 6/30/08. A summary includes:

~~ As of the end of June ’08, approximately 124.6 million ILEC switched access lines, 30.0 million CLEC switched access line, and 255.3 million mobile telephony service subscriptions were utilized by end-user customers to obtain local telephone service.

~~ 9.4 million lines (of the 30.0 million CLEC end-user switched access lines) were provided over coaxial cable connections. This figure represents about 71% of the 13.1 million end-user switched access lines that CLECs reported providing over their own local loop facilities.

~~ The number of mobile telephony subscribers rose by 17.0 million over last year.
About 8% of the 255.3 million mobile subscriptions are billed by mobile telephony service resellers.

~~ At the end of June ‘08, there was at least one CLEC serving customers in 82% of the nation’s Zip Codes, with about 97% of U.S. households residing in those Zip Codes. Additionally, there were multiple carriers reporting they provided local telephone service in the country’s major population centers.

~~ The 30.0 million lines reported by CLECs is about 19% of the 154.7 million total end-user switched access lines.

~~ CLECs reported:
-- 12.4 million (or 14%) of the 89.6 million lines that served residential end users and 17.7 million (or 27%) of the 64.7 million lines that served business, institutional, and government customers.
-- Providing 44% of their end-user switched access lines over their own local loop facilities, 36% by using unbundled network elements (UNEs) that they leased from other carriers, and 20% through resale arrangements with unaffiliated carriers.

~~ Incumbent LECs:
-- Provided about 11% fewer UNE loops with switching (referred to as the UNE-Platform) to unaffiliated carriers at the end of June 2008 than they reported six months earlier (4.9 million compared to 5.5 million) and about 7% fewer UNE loops without switching (3.8 million compared to 4.1 million).
-- Were the presubscribed interstate long distance carrier for 59% of the switched access lines they provided to end users, while CLECs were the interstate long distance carrier for 79% of their switched access lines."

The FCC will continue to post updated information as available. Future reports will also reflect interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (interconnected VoIP) statistics, as per the FCC’s Report and Order (FCC 08-89) which revised requirements to encompass VoIP subscriber information as well.

To review or download a complete copy of the report, visit: www.fcc.gov/wcb/stats.

2009-07-16T12:46:00.002-07:00

NANPA Newsletter provides relief…
NANPA’s newsletter, always a great resource, provides a synopsis of significant area code relief activity in its second quarter 2009 issue. A brief rundown includes:
Alabama -- Planning Letter 398, for implementation of the new 938 NPA overlaying the existing 256 NPA, was published with permissive 10-digit dialing slated to begin 11/7/09 ~ mandatory 10-digit dialing will begin 6/5/10.

Connecticut – Code conservation measures delayed the exhaust of the 203 NPA for over a decade – but implementation plans are now underway for the 475 NPA overlay. Statewide permissive 10-digit dialing started on 5/16/09 ~ with mandatory dialing beginning on 11/14/09.
Arkansas and Pennsylvania – Relief petitions have been filed for both Arkansas and Pennsylvania, with overlay recommendations for Arkansas’ 870 NPA and Pennsylvania’s 814 and 570 NPAs.
Kentucky – With the projected exhaust date of the 270 NPA moved to second quarter 2012 (from second quarter 2011), an order was issued delaying the start of permissive dialing for the 270/364 split to no later than 1/1/12 (from 4/1/10). The establishing of dates for mandatory dialing has been deferred.
California – An all-service overlay has been approved as the relief method for the 760 NPA, with 442 assigned as the new NPA. Permissive seven-digit or one plus 10-digit dialing began 5/2/09 ~ and mandatory one plus 10-digit dialing will start 10/24/09.
Illinois -- Implementation of the 312 and 773 NPAs overlay with new 872 NPA has been delayed for years by the induction of various numbering optimization measures. The NANPA newsletter provides a detailed update and indicates, "The industry should already have permissive dialing in their switches. Therefore, the industry must be prepared for a short notice to start the overlay implementation."
Oregon – An all-services overlay for the 541 NPA was approved, with the new NPA designated as 458. Permissive seven-digit or 10-digit dialing began 7/12/09 ~ mandatory 10-digit dialing starts 1/10/10.
Wisconsin – The approved relief method for the 715 NPA is an all-services overlay, with the 534 NPA assigned as the new code. Permissive seven-digit or 10-digit dialing begins 10/17/09 ~ with mandatory 10-digit dialing slated to begin 7/17/10.
To review this relief activity in more detail – or for additional information on various administrative news, the 2Q2009 NANPA Newsletter may be accessed via www.nanpa.com.

Are we running out of phone numbers?

2009-07-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) Administration has just completed its review of assigned area codes and area codes still available for assignment. Results show that we’ll be able to keep giving out phone numbers in the current format for at least 30 more years.

Utilizing historical central office code assignments and service provider submitted data, the report reviews all geographic area codes in the US, and provides "an NPA-by-NPA exhaust projection". Using an assumption of an "average CO code demand rate of 5,800 codes assigned per year and 685 available NPA codes", the present analysis indicates NANP exhaust beyond 2039. More details are available at www.nanpa.com.

Permissive Dialing Delayed in Kentucky

2009-07-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

A two-way geographic split to relieve western Kentucky’s 270 NPA was ordered 5/31/07 by the Kentucky Public Service Commission (KY PSC). On 6/2/09, the KY PSC ordered a delay to the start of permissive dialing in this area, resulting in a change from 4/1/10 to no later than 1/1/12. No date was set for mandatory dialing.

So, as it stands now the relief plan for 270 NPA is:

7/29/11
-- Test number 364-364-4444 in service to verify routing to new NPA (364) (end date to be determined)

10/29/11
-- Latest date for all domestic and international carriers to activate the 364 NPA
-- Permissive dialing starts (either 270 or 364 NPA will be acceptable in a dialed number that terminates in the new 364 NPA)

TBD
-- End of permissive dialing/start of mandatory new NPA dialing
-- Earliest date for the end of recorded announcement
-- First date codes from the 364 NPA may be ordered through NANPA

A copy of the KY PSC orders and other related Commission information can be obtained at: http://www.psc.ky.gov.

It's official!

2009-06-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

Tele-Tech’s holding company, KFR Services Inc., is now certified as women-owned by the National Women Business Owners Corporation.We realize some customers have established goals to ensure a certain percentage of business is conducted with vendors that are minority-owned. And, being certified as women-owned means we are now able to help our customers meet those goals.

Employees have the last say…

2009-06-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

... and the whole gang’s pretty excited about it at Tele-Tech! For the second consecutive year, our parent company, KFR Services, Inc., has been awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility*. This is a nationally awarded recognition given to employers across the country that are “successfully using flexibility to meet both business and employee goals”.

Now, here’s the best part about this award – the winners are not selected by virtue of some well written document submitted by company executives. Nope! Award recipients are judged on their ability to demonstrate that workplace flexibility is actually alive and well in their corporate environment – both in terms of business AND employee objectives. And, to assess that, employees are the scale of judgment. Staff members take a detailed survey, rating workplace flexibility as they see/experience it at their company – and the survey results are the final selection criteria.

“What a great honor that the staff here at KFR continues to value the workplace flexibility that we strive to provide our employees,” stated Co-President, Stephanie Fetchen. KFR has purposely and continuously worked to create a culture that is flexible and focused – a unique combination that provides an excellent environment for business and employees to achieve great things. Current flexibility programs at KFR include a flexible work schedule, pay increases for cross-training into other positions, the ability for employees to work from home – and pretty much a ‘dress-as-you-wish-code’ (uh, well there might be a couple of exceptions to that – but no one has pushed it). Also, team members who are new parents can bring their babies to work for the first six months.

So, as you can see, here at Tele-Tech, it’s worked out well when our employees have the last say. We’re quite proud and humbled that KFR received this award for the second year in a row! And, we’re on a roll now, we’re going for three!

*The Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility is part of When Work Works, a “national project on workplace effectiveness and workplace flexibility from Families and Work Institute in partnership with The Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation”.

New Zones for New York

2009-06-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

You may have read May 27th blog post regarding a rate center consolidation plan in New York City. On August 15, 2009, more than 250 NPA-NXXs are moving from New York City Zone 2 to Zone 1, and Zone 2 will cease to exist. Three NPA-NXXs will move from Zone 3 to Zone 1 as well. The move will benefit customers in Manhattan who wish to port their phone numbers to a new carrier. Regulations allow landline phone numbers to be ported only within the same rate center. Manhattan’s three zones are currently three separate rate centers, meaning that customers may not be able to take their phone numbers with them if they move within Manhattan. Consolidating all Manhattan NPA-NXXs into a single rate center alleviates this problem.

The NPA-NXXs that move to a new rate center will be associated with new V&H Coordinates used to calculate distance. While many telecom services have moved away from mileage-sensitive rating over the years, if you’re on a mileage-based plan, you may see changes in your bill.

For example, if you have an NPA-NXX remaining in Zone 3, some calls to what formerly were other Zone 3 numbers will now be eight miles away (based on a mileage calculation to Zone 1) instead of zero miles. Conversely, if a call travels between Jersey City and NPA-NXXs formerly in New York City Zone 2, the distance changes from seven miles to four miles.

Will the New York City rate center consolidation cause you to make changes to what you bill and/or what you pay for services? We want to hear about it. Join the discussion here!

2009-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Who’s on first…
New York City will have a new line-up of central office codes in effect by mid-August. As outlined in the Order of the State of New York Public Service Commission (Case 09-C-0244), the following changes will be effective August 15, 2009:

All central office codes in New York City Zone 2 (NWYRCYZN02) will be consolidated under New York City Zone 1 (NWYRCYZN01). (After 8/15/09, NWYRCYZN02 will no longer exist.)
Central office codes in the 212 and 646 area codes associated with the New York City Zone 3 (NWYRCYZN03) will be moved to New York City Zone 1 (NWYRCYZN01). (After 8/15/09, NWYRCYZN03 will no longer be associated with 212 or 646 area codes.)
And, 917-507, 917-521, and 917-529 will move from NWYRCYZN03 to NWYRCYZN01. The remainder of 917 central office codes currently assigned to NWYRCYZN03 will remain unchanged. (NWYRCYZN03 will continue to be associated with the 917, 347, and 718 area codes after 8/15/09.)

2009-05-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISION (FCC) UPDATES

Porting Period Shortened
In a May 13, 2009, Report and Order (R&O) issued by the FCC, the "porting interval for simple wireline and simple intermodal port requests" was modified from four-days to one business day. So, service providers (wireline, wireless and certain Voice over Internet Protocol companies) will now be required to process customer requested transfers of existing phone numbers from one provider to another within one business day.

Now, what is "simple"? The FCC defines "simple ports as those ports that: (1) do not involve unbundled network elements; (2) involve an account only for a single line; (3) do not include complex switch translations (e.g., Centrex, ISDN, AIN services, remote call forwarding, or multiple services on the loop); and (4) do not include a reseller. This may sound a little confusing to consumers – and, in fact, Michael Copps, FCC Acting Chairman, acknowledges certain "non-simple ports look no different to consumers than simple ports, yet the shortened interval adopted in this Order will not apply". So, there will be some fine-tuning still to come with regard to porting processes and simple/non-simple ports.

From four to one. Recognizing this shortened porting period may necessitate some service providers to modify processes and functionality in order to comply, the North American Numbering Council (NANC) has been directed to develop new "local number portability process flows" in 90 days. Once NANC’s new process flows are complete, large providers will have nine months to comply (small carriers will have 15 months).

The full Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking may be viewed at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-41A1.pdf

~~~

Interconnection VoIP Notification Requirements
In a second May 13, 2009, R&O, the FCC also required interconnected VoIP service providers ("those whose customers can place calls to and receive calls from the public telephone network, rather than solely over the Internet") to provide customers written notice prior discontinuation, reduction or impairment of service. This puts VoIP carriers under the same notification requirements as conventional voice service providers.

The full Report and Order may be viewed at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-40A1.pdf

2009-05-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

VoIP: The Country?
Country Code 883 was assigned for global use for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in late 2008, a development that went relatively un-noticed in non-VoIP arenas. The ITU issued the country code at the request of Voxbone, a Brussels, Belgium-based provider of international inbound numbers and VoIP transport.

Unlike country codes that are associated with specific countries, (i.e., +44 for the UK or +52 for Mexico) +883 numbers are global, and they move with you from place to place, so they’re not associated with any specific country. Voxbone markets the numbers as iNum, and each phone number assigned in country code 883 will be 12 digits, which means that about 10 million numbers have been allocated to Voxbone for this service. The company estimates that all 10 million of those numbers will be assigned to its customers by the end of 2009.

Currently, Voxbone acts as a wholesaler, with VoIP-originated calls placed to +883 numbers passed through the company’s routers and delivered to the appropriate VoIP service provider. Callers on the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) must dial a Voxbone access number, and then the +883 number they are calling in order to reach a subscriber in country code 883. Voxbone hopes to eventually negotiate agreements for direct interconnection with the PSTN.
Will country code +883 be widely accepted? Voxbone expects the service to be a low-cost, barrier-free way to connect callers worldwide. But in places like Germany where separate, non-geographic area codes within the country exist, calls to those numbers typically cost more than calls to geographically-based numbers. There may not be much incentive for traditional carriers to deliver calls to the “virtual” country code at a low cost. And the need to dial an access number before the subscriber phone number may be a hindrance to acceptance if direct interconnection to the PSTN is not achieved.

What do you think? We’d like to hear from you! Please share your comments regarding the effect of country code +883 at your company or in the industry as a whole. Leave your comments here!

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Alabama Overlay Announced
An all services overlay was recently approved by Alabama’s Public Service Commission in an effort to provide relief for the 256 NPA. The new 938 NPA will cover the same communities now served by the 256 NPA, including Anniston, Florence, Gadsden and Huntsville.

The effective date for the 938 NPA is 7/10/10; however, transitioning residents to 10-digit dialing will begin much sooner. A “permissive dialing period” will be in effect from 11/7/09 through 6/5/10, during which subscribers may use either 7- or 10-digits when making calls within the 256 NPA. At the conclusion of the permissive period, shortly before activation of the 938 NPA, 10-digit dialing will be mandatory for the overlay area.

Just as customers are encouraged to begin 10-digit dialing, it is highly recommended that carriers prepare their switches to begin sending 10-digits prior to the mandatory dialing deadline of 6/5/10 as well. Additionally, international and domestic service providers should verify their networks have the 938 NPA activated prior to its effective date of 7/10/10.

2009-04-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Broadening Broadband

In order to meet the Congress imposed deadline of February 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has begun the process of developing a national broadband plan. As part of the evaluation process in determining how to best bring high-speed Internet service nationwide, in early April, acting FCC Chairman Michael J. Copps solicited public and industry input regarding its availability, quality and affordability. Copps indicated methods used to develop this plan will be "open, inclusive, out-reaching and data-hungry".

As the plan moves forward, the FCC is certain to face noteworthy debate regarding inclusion of various policies. In fact, telecom companies and public interest groups have already shared their input and concerns. Issues brought forward thus far include regulating the fees large telecom operators may apply for utilization of parts of their networks; and, requests to redirect a $7 billion federal rural phone subsidy to broadband.

Other areas of FCC focus, Copps indicated would be strategy for identifying highest-need areas - as well as determining speed parameters - for high-speed Internet. Another issue for assessment will be urban and rural high-speed Internet demand differentials.

Senior counsel for Consumers Union, a public advocacy group, Chris Murray summarized the process by saying the FCC plan will review existing policies and determine if and how they may be modified to improve broadband availability and appeal. Murray stated "The proper goal of the program is filling holes in our national broadband strategy, not creating broadband networks from the ground up."

With the FCC plan deadline of February 2010, there is concern that much of the $7.2 million in government stimulus funds for broadband development will be claimed by Internet providers before plan completion; and, therefore without much agency influence, clear guidelines or measure of project needs. The hope is that, with senses heightened to this possibility, extra care and consideration will be taken with any monies designated prior to the FCC’s final plan.

2009-04-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Alabama Deregulation

The Alabama Senate voted 19-8 to pass legislation to deregulate all home and business phone services giving landline rates the same standing as cell and Internet phone services. Should this legislation become law, the Alabama Public Service will no longer oversee rates and AT&T and other local phone companies will be able to set rates for local service as they wish.

While this bill positions Alabama landline phone service providers to better compete with the already deregulated cell and Internet phone providers, it would also result in less protection for consumers against huge rate hikes. Of course, the next step for this piece of legislation is to make it through the House – and then be signed by Alabama’s governor.