Pai Vows to Consider NANC's Nationwide Number Portability Report, Recommendations

findings, which cited hurdles to nationwide number portability and proposed the FCC do a detailed inquiry on cost, payment and tax issues, possible uniform 10-digit dialing, potentially negative fallout for state regulators and other matters (see 1605170007). “I’ll be candid, we haven’t yet taken a look at it," Pai said. "We’re still somewhat green on the job, just a couple months, so we’re still getting our bearings, meeting with various bureaus about some of the things that have been outstanding. But I will be happy to take a look and we’ll see what action we might be able to take.” Pai hailed NANC as ensuring “impartial administration" of the North American Numbering Plan. “Numbering resources are a finite and scarce resource," he said. "It’s also a critical aspect of our nation’s communications infrastructure. So making those resources available on an efficient and timely basis to communications service providers is essential to a vibrant and dynamic communications marketplace.” He said he appreciated the group's historic role and current focus "on matters such as local number portability, including the first transition of the LNP [administrator] since 1997; an examination of the feasibility and the obstacles to nationwide number portability; an annual evaluation of the vendors who provide number administration services, and changes to the annual numbering contribution factor. So you’re not just doing make-work; this is serious and complex work. ... Despite the fact that you labor in some highly technical thickets, your recommendations, your expertise help us navigate through those thickets and at the end of the day help the American telecom consumer have a much more efficient and seamless experience. They may never know about your work in this room in going forward, but they’ll all benefit from it in the years to come.”