NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE UTILITY CONSUMER ADVOCATES
RESOLUTION
Supporting Reform of the Current Telecommunications
Numbering System In Order To Conserve Numbering Resources,
Consider Consumer Input and Reduce Customer Inconvenience, Confusion
and Expense Related to Frequent Area Code Relief Requirements
WHEREAS, the current telecommunications numbering system has had difficulty in accommodating growth in the number of telecommunications services and competing companies that wish to provide these services in many geographic areas;
WHEREAS, these trends are likely to continue as new services enter the market, as well as additional service providers that wish to compete in these areas;
WHEREAS, the exhaustion of numbering resources, such as NXX codes, require the creation of new area codes in many regions;
WHEREAS, the exhaustion of numbering resources and the creation of new area codes in the same geographic area results in inconvenience, confusion and expense for many consumers;
WHEREAS, the shortage of numbering resources creates a hardship for CLECs, and other telecommunications carriers, as well as consumers, who wish to purchase these services;
WHEREAS, the creation of Local Number Portability to the extent technically feasible and economically reasonable will allow all local carriers to share telephone numbers within the same local area;
WHEREAS, many of the numbering changes being considered will require additional telephone number dialing for local telephone calls;
WHEREAS, the present method of adding new area codes to address NXX exhaustion needs to be closely examined in order to make certain that numbering resources are used in an efficient and nondiscriminatory manner;
WHEREAS, number pooling would allow local carriers to share NXX codes within the same geographic area;
WHEREAS, the reform of the current telecommunications numbering system is being considered by telecommunications industry forums and regulatory authorities in some instances without information being gathered from consumers;
WHEREAS, it is essential that the concerns of consumers must be considered in any determination as to how numbering resources should be used in the telecommunications industry;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that NASUCA supports the reform of the telecommunications numbering system in such a way that NXX codes may be used more efficiently, through various methods including number pooling, in order to serve the needs of consumers;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NASUCA calls upon the telecommunications industry and regulatory authorities to gather and consider the requirements and convenience of consumers, and to give these factors great weight as the reform of the telecommunications numbering system proceeds.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NASUCA authorizes its Executive Committee to develop specific positions and to take appropriate actions consistent with the terms of this resolution. The Executive Committee shall notify the membership of any action pursuant to this resolution.
Approved by NASUCA:
Charleston, South Carolina
Place
June 11, 1997
Date
Submitted by:
NASUCA Telecommunications Committee
Martha Hogerty (MO), Chair
Regina Costa (CA)
Thor Nelson (CO)
Julie Rones (DC)
Charlie Beck (FL)
Alice Hyde (IA)
Tim Seat (IN)
Theresa Czarski (MD
Mike Travieso (MD)
Wayne Jortner (ME)
Garth Morrisette (MN)
Karen Long (NC)
James Anderson (NH)
Heikki Leesment (NJ)
Rich Wiener (NM)
Charles Van Dyke (NV)
B. Robert Piller (NY)
Douglas Elfner (NY)
Karen Hardie (OH)
Philip McClelland (PA)
Elliot Elam (SC)
Suzi Ray McClellan (TX)
Amy Schwab (VA)
Robert Manifold (WA)