FCC ANNOUNCES GSA APPROVES RENEWAL OF
NORTH AMERICAN NUMBERING COUNCIL CHARTER THROUGH
OCTOBER 4, 2005

(CC Docket 92-237)

October 9, 2003 - The North American Numbering Council (Council) charter has been renewed through October 4, 2005, by the General Services Administration (GSA) to allow the Council to continue advising the Federal Communications Commission on rapidly evolving and competitively significant numbering issues facing the telecommunications industry. DA 03-3106. [Word] |[Acrobat]|[attachment]|[attachment]]

In October 1995, the Commission established the North American Numbering Council, a federal advisory committee created pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C., App. 2 (1988), to advise the Commission and other North American Numbering Plan (NANP) member countries on issues related to NANP administration, and to advise the Commission on local number portability administration issues in the United States. The original charter of the Council was filed on October 5, 1995, establishing an initial two-year term. The first amended charter was filed on October 5, 1997, renewing the term of the Council for an additional two years.

Since its original charter was renewed, the Council has provided the Commission with critically important recommendations regarding numbering issues. During the term of the current amended charter, the Council issued recommendations which included: (1) the neutrality of toll free database administration by Database Service Management, Inc.; (2) wireline/wireless integration for local number portability; (3) the feasibility of additional abbreviated dialing code arrangements (N11 Ad Hoc report); (4) selection of a thousands block pooling administrator; (5) Lockheed Martin's request to transfer the NANPA functions to Warburg Pincus; (6) methods for optimizing the use of numbering resources; (7) the feasibility of local number portability for 500/900 numbers; and (8) a replacement tool for COCUS, used to collect forecast and utilization data. The Council also provided in April 1999 a detailed evaluation of the North American Numbering Plan Administrator's (NANPA) performance during its first year, and will continue to evaluate NANPA's performance annually.

The Council is currently considering and formulating recommendations on other important numbering-related issues that will require work beyond the term of the present charter. The term of the Council's second amended charter begins October 5, 1999, and runs through October 4, 2001. The second amended charter is attached hereto.

The value of this federal advisory committee to the telecommunications industry and to the American public cannot be overstated. Numbers are the means by which businesses and consumers gain access to, and reap the benefits of, the public switched network. The Council's recommendations to the Commission will facilitate fair and efficient numbering administration in North America, and will ensure that numbering resources are available to all telecommunications service providers, consistent with the requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Blue, Special Assistant to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) at (202) 418-1466 or Deborah.Blue@fcc.gov. The address is: Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 445 Twelfth Street, SW, Room 5-A420, Washington, DC 20554. www.fcc.gov/ccb/Nanc. The fax number is: (202) 418-2345. The TTY number is: (202) 418-0484.