The FCC (www.fcc.gov) approved national standards today aimed at freeing up telephone numbers and slowing the need for new area codes. The FCC passed authority to the states, allowing them to reclaim millions of assigned phone numbers that aren't being used. The rules also tighten limits on how many phone numbers a carrier can have at one time.
In order to optimize numbering resources, the FCC rules create standards, such as allocating numbers in blocks of 1,000 rather than 10,000. A plan was established for the national rollout of mandatory thousand-block number pooling by carriers with LNP capability. Wireless carriers who become LNP-capable in November 2002 will be required to start participating in pooling at that time.
In addition, administrative measures were established, which allow the FCC to monitor more closely the way numbering resources are used. These measures will link a carrier's ability to obtain numbering resources closer to what it actually needs to serve customers.
The FCC also devised requirements to ensure the return of unused numbers to the inventory for assignment to other carriers.
The commission claims that as many as two billion phone numbers have been assigned to telecom carriers, with 500 million to 700 million currently in use.
Of the 317 area codes in use across the United States, 54 are on the verge of using up all seven-digit combinations, the FCC says, adding that all area codes could be exhausted within eight to 10 years. In California, for example, there were 13 area codes in use at the end of 1992. State regulators predict that 41 area codes will be operational by the end of 2002.
In today's action, the FCC said it is seeking comment on several matters relating to its findings in the number usage ruling. For instance, the FCC wants to determine which thousands-block number pooling costs will be eligible for recovery as carrier-specific incremental costs, as well as whether charging for numbering resources is a viable solution to control the use of numbers.
