The North American Numbering Council (NANC) is a Federal Advisory Committee. The NANC advises the Commission and makes recommendations, reached through consensus, that foster efficient and impartial number administration. The NANC is composed of representatives of telecommunications carriers, regulators, cable providers, VoIP providers, industry associations, vendors and consumer advocates. Working groups and task forces made up of industry experts have been established by the NANC to assist it in its efforts. The initial NANC charter was filed with Congress on October 5, 1995, and the NANC held its first meeting on October 1, 1996. The current charter expires on September 27, 2009.

Thomas M. Koutsky has been serving as the Chairman of the NANC since September 2006. Mr. Thomas M. Koutsky is a co-founder and Resident Scholar of the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. He replaces Robert C. Atkinson, who resigned after serving for five years as the Chairman of the NANC. Mr. Atkinson was formerly a Deputy Chief in the Commission's Common Carrier Bureau, and replaced Chairman Johnson R. Hoffman, who resigned on April 30, 2001. Mr. Hoffman, a former Sprint executive, was appointed as Chairman of the NANC on September 1, 1999, replacing Chairman Alan C. Hasselwander, Frontier Communications, who served as the first NANC Chairmanfrom October 1996 through August 1999.

The Commission’s designations of entities to serve as the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), Pooling Administrator (PA), and Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) were based on the NANC's recommendations. Since its inception, the NANC has provided recommendations to the Commission which have addressed a myriad of issues, including wireline/wireless integration for local number portability, abbreviated dialing arrangements, the neutrality of toll free database administration, and the feasibility of local number portability for 500/900 numbers. The NANC is currently working on issues such as monitoring wireless and intermodal LNP implementation, and the impact of VoIP and Electronic Numbering (ENUM) on the North American Numbering Plan (NANP).

The NANC's tasks and objectives are defined in the following Commission proceedings:

• Telephone Number Portability, CC DOcket No. 95-116, First Memorandum Opinion and Order on Reconsideration, 12 FCC Rcd 7236 (1998), Released 3/11/1998
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• Implementation of the Local Competition Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CC Docket No. 96-98, Second Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order, 11 FCC Rcd 19392 (1996), Released 8/8/1996
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• Telephone Number Portability, CC Docket No, 95-116, First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 11 FCC Rcd 8352 (1996), Released 6/28/1996
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• Adminstration of the North American Numbering Plan, CC Docket No, 92-237, Report and Order, 11 FCC Rcd 2588 (1995), Released 7/13/1995
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