On May 13, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) released a Report and Order (“LNP Order”) mandating a reduction to the maximum allowable local number porting interval from four to one-business day. LNP refers to the ability of users of telecommunications services to retain their existing telephone numbers when switching from one carrier to another without experiencing a decrease in quality, reliability or convenience. With the exception of certain small, rural carriers, the change in the FCC‘s LNP rules will apply to all telecommunications service and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“I-VoIP”) providers within approximately 9 months.
Clients are advised to monitor the LNP proceeding. To ensure the effective implementation of the LNP rules, clients should consider assessing their technical capacity to comply and seek professional guidance where required. Likewise, clients should thoroughly review NANC‘s provisioning requirements once adopted by the FCC.
Clients interested in submitting comments in this proceeding, pursuing a petition for modification, suspension or waiver or who have any further questions or concerns about the information contained in the Advisory should contact Jonathan Marashlian at: jsm@commlawgroup.com or 703-714-1313.
