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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:
 December  12,  2001  Michael  Balmoris  202-  418-  0253
 Email:  mbalmori@  fcc.  gov
 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  TAKES  ADDITIONAL  STEPS  TO  IMPROVE  TELEPHONE  NUMBERING  SYSTEM  USAGE
 Washington,  D.  C.    Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)
 continued  its  efforts  to  maximize  the  efficiency  with  which  numbering  resources  in  the
 North  American  Numbering  Plan  (NANP)  are  utilized.  Beginning  in  1999,  the
 Commission  initiated  and  ultimately  adopted  various  measures  to  ensure  that  the
 numbering  resources  of  the  NANP  are  used  efficiently,  and  that  all  carriers  have  the
 numbering  resources  needed  to  compete  in  the  expanding  telecommunications
 marketplace.
 Todays  action  builds  upon  past  rulings,  which  established,  among  other  things,  1)
 national  thousands-  block  number  pooling,  which  enables  numbers  to  be  allocated  in
 blocks  of  1,000  rather  than  10,000  blocks,  2)  numbering  resource  reclamation
 requirements  to  ensure  the  return  of  unused  numbers  to  the  NANP  inventory,  and,  3)  a
 60%  utilization  threshold,  which  increases  to  75%  over  time,  that  carriers  must  meet
 before  getting  additional  numbers  in  their  service  area.
 The  specific  measures  and  issues  addressed  in  todays  Third  Report  and  Order
 and  Second  Order  on  Reconsideration  include:
 1.  Federal  Cost  Recovery    Allows  incumbent  local  exchange  carriers  (LECs)  to  recover  their  carrier-specific
 costs  directly  related  to  national  thousands-  block  number  pooling
 implementation  to  the  extent  that  they  are  not  recovered  through  existing
 rates.  
 Reaffirms  states'  obligation  to  commence  cost  recovery  procedures  for
 costs  incurred  by  carriers  participating  in  state  pooling  trials,  and
 encourages  states  that  have  not  yet  done  so  to  use  the  model  established  by
 the  Commission  for  national  pooling  cost  recovery.
 2.  National  Thousands-  Block  Number  Pooling  Administration    Declined  to  alter  the  implementation  date  for  covered  CMRS  carriers  to
 participate  in  pooling.  
 Declined  to  extend  the  pooling  requirement  to  paging  carriers.  
 Declined  to  extend  pooling  requirements  to  non-  LNP  capable  carriers
 outside  the  largest  100  MSAs  that  have  not  received  a  request  to  deploy
 LNP  from  a  competing  carriers.
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 3.  Technology  Specific  Overlays  /  Other  Issues    Will  lift  the  ban  on  technology-  specific  and  service-  specific  overlays,  and
 requires  Commission  approval  of  state  proposals  on  a  case-  by-  case  basis.  
 Declined  to  lower  the  initial  utilization  threshold  of  60%.  
 Will  deny  numbering  resources  to  carriers  that  are  found  to  violate  the
 Commissions  numbering  requirements.  
 Clarified  that  all  carriers  in  the  top  100  Metropolitan  Service  Areas
 (MSAs)  must  become  local  number  portability  (LNP)  capable.  
 Established  a  safety  valve  to  allow  carriers  not  meeting  the  growth
 numbering  resources  requirements  to  get  needed  numbers.  
 Declined  to  exempt  carriers  participating  in  number  pooling  from  the
 utilization  threshold.
 -FCC-Docket
 Nos.:  CC  99-  200,  96-  98,  and  95-  116
 Action  by  the  Commission  December  12,  2001  by  Third  Report  and  Order  and
 Second  Order  on  Reconsideration  (FCC  01-  362).  Chairman  Powell  and  Commissioners
 Abernathy,  Copps,  and  Martin;  with  Martin  issuing  a  separate  statement.
 Common  Carrier  Bureau  Staff  Contact:  Sanford  Williams  at  202-  418-  2320
 News  about  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  can  also  be  found
 on  the  Commissions  web  site  www.  fcc.  gov.
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