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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 DA  02-  2822 
 WIRELINE  COMPETITION  BUREAU  SEEKS  COMMENT  ON  THE  PETITION  OF  THE  CALIFORNIA  PUBLIC  UTILITIES  COMMISSION  AND  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE 
 STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA  FOR  WAIVER  OF  THE  FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSIONS  CONTAMINATION  THRESHOLD  RULE 


 CC  Docket  No.  99-  200 
 Release  Date:  October  24,  2002 


 Comment  Date:  December  13,  2002  Reply  Comment  Date:  December  23,  2002 


 The  Wireline  Competition  Bureau  seeks  comment  on  the  petition  for  waiver  of  the  Commissions  contamination  threshold  requirement,  1  filed  on  September  5,  2002,  by  the 
 California  Public  Utilities  Commission  and  the  People  of  the  State  of  California  (California  Commission).  2  The  Commissions  rules  require  that  [  a]  ll  service  providers  required  to 
 participate  in  thousands-  block  number  pooling  donate  thousands-  blocks  with  ten  percent  or  less  contamination  to  the  thousands-  block  number  pool  for  the  rate  center  within  which  the 
 numbering  resources  are  assigned.  3  The  California  Commission  requests  that  the  Commission  grant  a  waiver  of  this  rule  so  that  it  can  increase  the  contamination  threshold  to  25  percent  in 
 California. 
 The  California  Commission  asserts  that  permitting  it  to  increase  the  contamination  threshold  will  allow  more  numbers  to  be  donated  to  active  number  pools  in  California  and  will 
 maximize  the  amount  of  available  numbering  resources  in  the  areas  where  number  pooling  has 


 1  See  47  C.  F.  R.    52.  20(  c)(  1).  Contamination  occurs  when  at  least  one  telephone  number  within  a  block  of 
 telephone  numbers  is  not  available  for  assignment  to  end  users  or  customers.  See  47  C.  F.  R.    52.  7(  h). 
 2  See  Petition  of  the  California  Public  Utilities  Commission  and  the  People  of  the  State  of  California  for  Waiver  of 
 the  Federal  Communications  Commissions  Contamination  Threshold  Rule,  CC  Docket  No.  99-  200  (filed  Sept.  5,  2002)  (California  Commission  Petition). 


 3  47  C.  F.  R.    52.20(  c)(  1). 
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 been  implemented.  4  Specifically,  the  California  Commission  states  that  almost  7,000  more  blocks  could  be  placed  in  pools  in  California.  According  to  the  California  Commission,  this 
 would  add  approximately  5.2  million  to  6.2  million  numbers  to  pools  in  California.  5 
 We  seek  comment  on  the  California  Commissions  petition.  Specifically,  we  ask  commenters  to  address  the  technical  implications  of  increasing  the  contamination  threshold  to  25 
 percent,  including  specific  impacts  on  local  number  portability.  We  ask  the  North  American  Numbering  Council  (NANC),  the  Commissions  advisory  committee  on  numbering  issues,  to 
 evaluate  the  technical  viability  of  increasing  the  contamination  level,  and  to  submit  its  findings  to  the  Bureau  no  later  than  December  13,  2002. 


 We  further  seek  comment  on  the  policy  implications  of  increasing  the  contamination  threshold  to  25  percent,  and  on  alternative  methods  for  increasing  the  availability  of  numbers  in 
 California.  Commenters  should  also  address  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  including  the  associated  costs,  of  increasing  the  contamination  threshold  to  25  percent.  Finally,  commenters 
 should  address  the  extent  to  which  increasing  the  contamination  threshold  will  improve  numbering  resource  optimization  or  otherwise  serve  the  public  interest  in  California. 


 Interested  parties  may  file  comments  on  or  before  December  13,  2002  and  may  file  reply  comments  on  or  before  December  23,  2002.  Comments  may  be  filed  using  the  Commission's 
 Electronic  Comment  Filing  System  (ECFS)  or  by  filing  paper  copies.  See  Electronic  Filing  of  Documents,  63  Fed.  Reg.  24121  (1998). 


 Comments  filed  through  the  ECFS  can  be  sent  as  an  electronic  file  via  the  Internet  to  <http://  www.  fcc.  gov/  e-  file/  ecfs.  html>.  Generally,  only  one  copy  of  an  electronic  submission 
 must  be  filed.  In  completing  the  transmittal  screen,  commenters  should  include  their  full  name,  U.  S.  Postal  Service  mailing  address,  and  the  applicable  docket  or  rulemaking  number.  Parties 
 may  also  submit  an  electronic  comment  by  Internet  e-  mail.  To  get  filing  instructions  for  e-  mail  comments,  commenters  should  send  an  e-  mail  to  ecfs@  fcc.  gov,  and  should  include  the  following 
 words  in  the  body  of  the  message,  "get  form  <your  e-  mail  address>."  A  sample  form  and  directions  will  be  sent  in  reply.  After  filing  your  comments  electronically,  please  notify  Sheryl 
 Todd  at  stodd@  fcc.  gov  that  comments  have  been  filed. 
 Parties  who  choose  to  file  by  paper  must  file  an  original  and  four  copies  of  each  filing.  Filings  can  be  sent  by  hand  or  messenger  delivery,  by  commercial  overnight  courier,  or  by  first-class 
 or  overnight  U.  S.  Postal  Service  mail  (although  we  continue  to  experience  delays  in  receiving  U.  S.  Postal  Service  mail).  The  Commission's  contractor,  Vistronix,  Inc.,  will  receive 
 hand-  delivered  or  messenger-  delivered  paper  filings  for  the  Commission's  Secretary  at  236  Massachusetts  Avenue,  N.  E.,  Suite  110,  Washington,  D.  C.  20002.  The  filing  hours  at  this 
 location  are  8:  00  a.  m.  to  7:  00  p.  m.  All  hand  deliveries  must  be  held  together  with  rubber  bands  or  fasteners.  Any  envelopes  must  be  disposed  of  before  entering  the  building.  Commercial 
 overnight  mail  (other  than  U.  S.  Postal  Service  Express  Mail  and  Priority  Mail)  must  be  sent  to  9300  East  Hampton  Drive,  Capitol  Heights,  MD  20743.  U.  S.  Postal  Service  first-  class  mail, 


 4  California  Commission  Petition  at  1-  2. 
 5  Id.  at  4-  5. 
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 Express  Mail,  and  Priority  Mail  should  be  addressed  to  445  12th  Street,  SW,  Washington,  D.  C.  20554.  All  filings  must  be  addressed  to  the  Commission's  Secretary,  Office  of  the  Secretary, 
 Federal  Communications  Commission. 
 In  addition,  one  copy  of  each  pleading  must  be  sent  to  the  Commissions  duplicating  contractor,  Qualex  International,  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.,  Room  CY-  B402,  Washington,  D.  C. 
 20554;  e-  mail:  qualexint@  aol.  com;  facsimile:  (202)  863-  2898;  phone:  (202)  863-  2893. 
 Pursuant  to  section  1.1206  of  the  Commissions  rules,  47  C.  F.  R.    1.1206,  this  proceeding  will  be  conducted  as  a  permit-  but-  disclose  proceeding  in  which  ex  parte 


 communications  are  permitted  subject  to  disclosure. 
 Parties  making  oral  ex  parte  presentations  are  reminded  that  memoranda  summarizing  the  presentation  must  contain  a  summary  of  the  substance  of  the  presentation  and  not  merely  a 


 listing  of  the  subjects  discussed.  More  than  a  one  or  two  sentence  description  of  the  views  and  arguments  presented  is  generally  required.  6  Other  rules  pertaining  to  oral  and  written 
 presentations  are  set  forth  in  Section  1.1206(  b)  as  well. 
 Comments  in  this  proceeding  will  be  available  on  ECFS.  They  will  also  be  available  for  public  inspection  and  copying  during  regular  business  hours  at  the  FCC  Reference  Information 


 Center,  Portals  II,  445  12th  Street,  SW,  Room  CY-  A257,  Washington,  DC,  20554.  They  may  also  be  purchased  from  the  Commission's  duplicating  contractor,  Qualex  International,  Portals  II, 
 445  12th  Street,  SW,  Room  CY-  B402,  Washington,  DC,  20554,  telephone  202-  863-  2893,  facsimile  202-  863-  2898,  or  via  e-  mail  qualexint@  aol.  com. 


 For  further  information,  please  contact  Pam  Slipakoff,  Wireline  Competition  Bureau,  Telecommunications  Access  Policy  Division,  at  202-  418-  7400,  or  via  e-  mail  at 
 pslipako@  fcc.  gov.  The  TTY  number  is  202-  418-  0484. 


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 6  47  C.  F.  R.    1.1206(  b)(  2). 
3