FCC demands VoIP number portability

U.S. Consumers can keep their VoIP telephone numbers and all numbers should be ported within 48 hours under a new ruling from the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC obligation extends to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol providers and the telecommunications carriers that obtain numbers for them.

The FCC issued a statement saying telephone companies may not obstruct or delay number porting by demanding excess information from the customer's new provider, and specifically concluded that LNP validation for a simple number port should be based on no more than four fields:

• 10-digit telephone number;
• customer account number;
• 5-digit zip code;
• pass code, if applicable.  In its Notice, the FCC also tentatively concluded that it should require the industry to complete simple ports in 48 hours 

Chairman Kevin Martin was, of course, claiming credit: "As interconnected VoIP providers have increasingly entered the market, it is important that consumers be able to transfer their number to and from these providers just like transfers between carriers." He said he also supported the actions to streamline the process and time required to switch from wireline to wireless service in order to provide consumers the ability to change providers "without undue burden or delay." 

What Martin did not say was that at some point--hopefully soon--everyone will be brave enough to finally abandon the silliness of having any telephone numbers for VoIP services.

For More:
- FCC Statement [1]
- FCC calls for quicker wireline-to-wireless number porting Report [2] 

Related Articles:
VoIP numbers to be used across Europe Report [3] 
Stevens and Inouye Introduce Bill to Expand Number Portability Rules Release [4]