Toll Free For Stimulus Checks

Any United States citizen eligible for a $250 federal stimulus check who did not receive it by now is advised to call the Social Security Administration’s toll-free number, (800) 772-1213, or contact the local office. The Department of Treasury was to send payments to all eligible Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries immediately.

The SMS 800 Made Easy

The SMS/800 Data Center houses the main database of available toll free 800, 888, 877 and 866 phone numbers. SMS/800 maintains the database and keeps records of the owners of each number and the service providers. Available numbers on the database are assigned to subscribers on a first-come, first-served, basis. Additionally, the SMS/800 management team works with toll free service providers and with the owners and operators of the 800 numbers. The team has final authority on all issues that arise at SMS/800

FCC Comes Down Hard on Illegal Sales of Toll Free Numbers

Along with hoarding, the outright sale of specific toll free numbers is likewise illegal. Some crafty entrepreneurs have attempted to skirt the regulations by “leasing” or “renting” numbers. But industry insiders say the crackdown on illegal use of toll free numbers is aimed at this practice too.

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Digital TV Info Available at FCC Toll Free Number

Changes in television service are in store for all U.S. TV watchers this week as analog systems are changed over to digital transmission. Anyone with an antenna will now need a convertor box. The transition can be confusing so the FCC has implemented a toll free number for anyone with questions about their digital service or the need to get a converter box. Call toll-free 888-225-5322 (CALL FCC) for information.

Rationing Of Toll-free Phone Numbers Considered

The force behind the demand for toll-free numbers is not only the traditional business use: a growing market is comprised of residential customers. If rationing is implemented, obtaining a new toll free number will be more difficult than ever before.

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New GM Chair A Telecommunications Expert

Named as the new chairman of the failing General Motors Corp., M Edward E. Whitacre Jr. built AT&T Inc. into the biggest U.S. provider of telephone service over a 43-year-career. Mr. Whitacre, of Texas and nicknamed “Big Ed” said steering the nation’s largest automaker after bankruptcy is “a public service.” People who know him say he can meet GM’s need for the type of transformation he orchestrated at AT&T.

The Diffuculty in Obtaining an 800 Number is Increasing

Adding to the problem, insiders say 800 numbers retired back to the main database for someone else to use are scarce. Toll free numbers have such an extreme positive impact on any company, that it is rare for business owners to cancel their numbers. A plea for unused numbers to be released offered a brief reprieve earlier this year. But within weeks, the supply dropped again as thousands of new subscribers invested in toll free service each day.

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Federal Oversight of Toll Free

The FCC has a long history of reviewing legislation with regard to the use of toll free. For instance, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 amended section 228 to impose more stringent restrictions on the use of toll-free numbers to charge consumers for information services. On July 11, 1996, the Commission amended its rules governing interstate pay-per-call (900 numbers) and other information services to address abusive practices that threatened public confidence in toll-free numbers and left telephone subscribers vulnerable to unexpected charges for calls and information services.

List of SMSGOV Approved Toll Free Service Providers

In addition to the complete list of toll free telephone companies SMSGOV.com maintains; SMS-GOV.US also maintains a list of approved Toll Free Service Providers. We have compiled the full list below:

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Toll Free Allocation

In March 1998, the FCC ordered the fair distribution of vanity toll free numbers. The Commission concluded that assigning vanity numbers would be on a first-come, first-served basis to ensure fair allocation of numbers. The FCC decided that “a first-come, first-served process is also the most efficient method for assigning toll free numbers because it is the most easily administered and least expensive way to allocate numbers.” The FCC also announced that the the first-come, first-served system avoids disputes among subscribers over who is entitled to a particular number