Stevens Calls for FCC to Revisit Number Portability Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, today called for an expedited number portability process during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the issue.  The hearing focused on problems and delays that consumers face when taking their phone number to a new communications provider. 

Senator Stevens made the following comments:

“Advances in innovations and communications technologies are changing the communications marketplace. These changes are very good for consumers. One of the changes is increased competition for voice services. Eleven years ago when Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the only service most consumers had was telecommunications from their local telephone company. Today, consumers have many choices for voice services including telephone companies, cable companies, wireless companies, and internet voice service companies. But consumers are less likely to take advantage of the new choices if they cannot keep their phone number. One problem is delay. We have heard instances of number ports taking ten to thirty days, and we have heard of some providers requiring more than 100 pieces of data to port a number. These are unnecessary hassles that consumers complain about, and providers are slow to correct.

“Another problem is that not all types of providers are covered under the FCC rules. When the FCC first promulgated its number portability rules, there were far fewer choices. It is time for the FCC to revisit those rules and expand them to meet today’s new voice service market. Consumers should not be limited in their choices because they cannot risk losing key contacts or business as a result of having to change their phone numbers. Senator Inouye and I have introduced the “Same Number Act of 2007” (S.1769) to help consumers.

“The bill requires the FCC to revisit its number portability rules and extend them to all applicable voice communications services, not just telecommunications service. It does not assist any one industry sector, but instead requires all services to port numbers. It also calls for notice to consumers so they will know what to expect when they change their services. We look forward to hearing from the panel, and trying to find out how we can shape this bill to help consumers take advantage of new choices and lower prices available in today’s communications marketplace.”