To ensure the efficient allocation of telephone numbers.

January 7, 2003

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To ensure the efficient allocation of telephone numbers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The premature exhaustion of telephone area codes causes economic dislocation for businesses and unnecessary inconvenience for households.

(2) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104) was enacted with the objective of facilitating the development of competitive markets in telecommunications services. The efficient allocation of telephone numbers would further the achievement of that objective.

(3) The technology and procedures for the efficient allocation of telephone numbers are currently under development and should be available in 2 to 3 years.

(4) The combination of rapid growth in competition for telecommunication services and the inefficient allocation of numbering resources devoted to such services will result in the creation of scores of new telephone area codes, almost all of which will become wholly unnecessary once procedures for the efficient allocation of telephone numbers are in place.

(5) The premature exhaustion of telephone area codes can be prevented by measures to conserve the allocation of so-called central office codes.

(6) State regulatory authorities have the interest and capability to tailor mechanisms to conserve telephone numbers to the needs of the telecommunications markets.

(7) Mechanisms for the conservation of telephone numbers can be implemented without impeding competition for telecommunications services.

SEC. 2. EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF TELEPHONE NUMBERS.

(a) PLAN- Not later than June 30, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission shall develop a plan for the efficient allocation of telephone numbers. The Commission shall fully implement such plan not later than December 31, 2003.

(b) ELEMENTS- The plan under subsection (a) shall--

(1) include mechanisms to ensure full portability of telephone numbers;

(2) provide for full sharing of unassigned telephone numbers among telecommunications carriers; and

(3) take into account any telecommunications technology that will be widely available as of December 31, 2003, that requires a telephone number.

(c) DELEGATION OF NUMBERING JURISDICTION- Until the Commission has fully implemented the plan required by subsection (a), the Commission shall, upon the request of a State commission, delegate to the State commission the jurisdiction of the Commission over telecommunications numbering with respect to the State under section 251(e)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)(1)) to the extent that such delegation will permit the State commission to implement measures to conserve telephone numbers, including measures as follows:

(1) To establish minimum use and so-called `fill' rate requirements for central office codes.

(2) To conduct audits of the use of telephone numbers and central office codes.

(3) To require telecommunications carriers to return unused or underused central office codes and to return central office codes that have been obtained in a manner contrary to Federal or State numbering guidelines or protocols.

(4) To establish individual number pooling, mandatory 1000-block pooling, and interim unassigned number porting.

(5) To ration central office codes.

END