Federal Communications Commission.
Final rule: Petition for Reconsideration.
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) denies four petitions for reconsideration or clarification of the Commission's Order forbearing from imposing service provider local number portability (LNP) requirements on commercial mobile radio service providers (CMRS providers) until November 24, 2002. The Commission finds that, in its forbearance decision, it adequately considered issues related to number conservation, competition in the wireless industry, and the Telecommunications Resellers Association's alternate LNP proposal. The Commission also finds that its forbearance analysis was consistent with the statutory standard. By this document, the Commission declines to extend or shorten the November 24, 2002 deadline for CMRS providers to support service provider LNP in the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).
Effective April 7, 2000.
Joel Taubenblatt, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418–1513.
This is a summary of the Commission's Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 98–229 and CT Docket No. 95–116, adopted February 9, 2000, and released February 23, 2000. The complete text of this Order on Reconsideration is available for inspection and copying during normal business hours in the Commission's Reference Center, room CY–A257, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC. The complete text is also available through the Internet at
1. On May 27, 1999, four parties filed petitions for reconsideration or clarification of the Commission's Order forbearing from imposing service provider LNP requirements on CMRS providers until November 24, 2002.
2. Under the Commission's prior LNP decisions, CMRS providers were required to implement LNP in the top 100 MSAs and to support nationwide roaming by March 31, 2000. Implementation of LNP by CMRS providers would enable wireless customers to “port” their telephone numbers in the event that they switch from one wireless carrier to another, or from a wireless to a wireline carrier.
3. In the
4. In their petitions for reconsideration of the
5. This Order on Reconsideration finds that none of the petitions raises arguments that warrant reconsideration of the Commission's decision in the
6. With respect to number conservation issues, the Order rejects assertions that: (1) the Commission's decision to extend the CMRS LNP deadline until November 24, 2002 will hamper the implementation of number optimization solutions that require LNP technology, such as thousands-block number pooling; and (2) the Commission's consideration of number conservation issues as a basis for limiting forbearance was impermissible and inaccurate speculation. In addition, in response to a request for clarification,
7. With respect to competition issues, the Order states that the Commission carefully considered the effect of forbearance from the CMRS LNP requirements on wireless-to-wireless and wireless-to-wireline competition and found that extending the wireless LNP deadline until November 24, 2002, but not beyond that date, would promote competition in the short term and in the long term. Regarding TRA's proposed alternative approach for implementing LNP, the Commission finds that the Commission adequately considered TRA's proposal in the
8. Finally, with respect to section 10 issues, the Order affirms the Commission's findings that the forbearance granted in the
9. Accordingly, pursuant to § 1.106 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.106, the petitions for reconsideration of the
Telecommunications.