Number Portability to be Provided Within One Day
Monday May 18, 2009
The FCC issued a number of rules lately, two of which will be of importance to the mass of VoIP consumers. They concern number portability and the closing down of services. Currently, phone number portability is required by regulations to be provided within four business days. FCC has ruled that it henceforth be provided within one single business day. This is mostly a reply to Verizon's marketing tactics that the FCC deemed unlawful earlier this year. Instead of transferring the customers' services to another provider, Verizon had taken this four-day period to phone the customers and talk them into staying with them.
The FCC also endorsed a rule to prevent what happened in 2007 with the closing down of Sunrocket, which users came to know of only through the dead beep when trying to use their phones. Any service closing down is now required to give a reasonable amount of advance notice to customers so as to allow them enough time to switch provider. The FCC doesn't want people to fall on a dead line in case of emergencies. The amount of time for the advance notice has however not yet been defined.
The FCC also endorsed a rule to prevent what happened in 2007 with the closing down of Sunrocket, which users came to know of only through the dead beep when trying to use their phones. Any service closing down is now required to give a reasonable amount of advance notice to customers so as to allow them enough time to switch provider. The FCC doesn't want people to fall on a dead line in case of emergencies. The amount of time for the advance notice has however not yet been defined.
Comments
Do you think the new administration and their warnings to big business regarding monopoly practices will translate into a more rapid adoption of VOIP services?
What I know is that the new administration is set to defend net-neutrality so as to fight monopoly practices. Read that post: http://voip.about.com/b/2008/11/05/why-barack-obama-is-better-for-voip-and-the-internet.htm
Unlike traditional phone, VoIP offers opportunities also to small companies to provide services, esp with things like private labeling. I therefore believe there will be more rapid adoption of VoIP services, unless big telcos work out another type of VoIP monopoly.
Interesting, thank you.