More House members asked FCC Chmn. Powell to provide wireless car...
More House members asked FCC Chmn. Powell to provide wireless carriers with relief on upcoming local number portability (LNP) deadline. Letter sent Fri. by Rep. Stearns (R-Fla.), chmn. of Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade & Consumer Protection, told Powell…
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that Nov. 24 wireless LNP mandate shouldn’t be imposed until thousand-block number pooling had been deployed successfully. Carriers now face Nov. 24 deadline for both wireless LNP and number pooling. Verizon Wireless has petitioned FCC for forbearance on LNP deadline, saying it would sap resources from other regulatory initiatives such as E911. State PUCs have urged Commission to hold fast to deadline, while larger carriers generally have sided with Verizon Wireless on relief from date. Letter to Powell also was signed by Reps. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Gillmor (R-O.), Burr (R-N.C.), Cox (R-Cal.), Fossella (R- N.Y.), Cubin (R-Wyo.), Wynn (D-Md.), DeGette (D-Colo.), Doyle (D-Pa.). Earlier this month, House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.), ranking committee Democrat Dingell (D-Mich.) and 30 other panel members raised similar arguments in letter to Powell (CD Feb 21 p7). Latest letter said it wasn’t “prudent” for FCC to require wireless carriers to implement LNP at same time as pooling. Under pooling schedule, letter said, carriers will have to flash-cut thousands-block pooling in about 150 area codes Nov. 24 and in 21 more area codes every 3 months after that. “A requirement that pooling and local number portability be deployed simultaneously raises significant network reliability and integrity issues,” letter said.