First, the Commission asked whether the industry guidelines that govern number allocation should be modified, supplemented or replaced with enforceable federal regulations. The Commission also inquired about measures that would tie the allocation of new numbering resources to a showing of need by the carrier, increase carrier accountability for number utilization through enhanced data reporting and audit requirements, and speed the return of unused numbering resources. The Commission's proposals are intended to ensure that carriers will request numbers only when they need them, and return numbers they no longer need so others can use them. Because of the way the network routes telephone calls, telephone numbers currently are allocated to each carrier in blocks of 10,000 for each geographic area, or rate center, to be served, even though they may not need all those numbers. For example, most carriers today use significantly less than 50 percent of the numbers allocated to them.
Number pooling allows service providers in a given area to receive numbers in smaller blocks.
One form of number pooling is thousands-block pooling, which allows numbers to be apportioned in blocks of 1,000, which may significantly increase the efficiency with which numbers are used. In Illinois, a number pooling test saved approximately 1,370,000 telephone numbers. Given the potential benefits of a nationwide pooling architecture, the Commission tentatively concluded that implementing thousands-block pooling in major markets is an important numbering resource optimization strategy that is essential to extending the life of the Numbering Plan. According to the Numbering Plan Administrator, pooling could extend the life of the Numbering Plan by over 75 years. The Commission sought comment on other numbering resource optimization measures, including rate center consolidation and mandatory ten-digit dialing.