What is the SMSGOV?

SMSGOV.com is home to the Toll Free Advisory Committee (TAC). The Toll Free Advisory Committee (TAC) is a self regulated association of telecom companies. We work as an external layer within the toll free industry. We aggregate news and information involving Responsible Organizations and regulatory agencies including the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Service Management System (SMS800.)

We provide a public resource on the topics of telecom and 800 numbers that are accessible to the general public.

SMSGOV is not affiliated or endorsed by the United States Government.
See:About Us

Industry Compliance

One Purpose of the Tollfree Advisory Committee (TAC) is to assist in arbitrating disputes between subscribers/Responsible Organizations/the Government/and end users of telephone and communications services.

See: Compliance

Contacts

inquiries should be sent to: domain(at)sms-gov.us

How to Contact SMSGOV With Any Questions

Please see our Contacts page for our email address.

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https://smsgov.com/contacts/

Protected: 888 Numbers Becoming More Sought After

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Despite Mass De-Activations of 800 Numbers, Supplies Still Dwindling

A recent plea for the deactivation of unused 800 numbers resulted in a surge of numbers returned to the main database. But despite these mass replacements, the supply of available toll free numbers continues to dwindle as thousands of subscribers register for a 1- 800 number each day.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, toll free service is increasing in popularity because it enables callers to reach businesses, organizations, and non-profits without having to pay for the call. This marketing tool has been so successful that the available supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are plummeting while demand is growing at unprecedented rates.

The popularity of the 1-800 number, introduced in the late 1960s, led the FCC to add the new pre-fixes 888 and 877 in the mid-1990s. When availability of those numbers became scarce in 2000, the 866 pre-fix was added to overcome the shortage. Now, eight years later, the stockpile is once again low despite the recent mass deactivation of unused 800 numbers.

When an 800 number is disconnected, it eventually becomes available on the 800 Service Management System, (SMS/800) database. These retired numbers are in great demand and the competition to secure released numbers is fierce.

Industry insiders are recommending that anyone wishing to obtain a toll free number secure one immediately. Thousands of toll free numbers are registered each day. With a limited number of possibilities, the finite supply is nearly expended. Toll free numbers are assigned by entities called Responsible Organizations, toll free service providers who have access to the SMS/800 database of available numbers.

Advisors say the most effective and affordable way to obtain a toll free number before supplies runs out is to contact a reliable toll free service provider.

California “Hands Free” Cell Phone Law July 1st 2008

California Senate Bill 1613 (SB1613) signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 says, Californians will have to put down their cell phone while driving and become hands-free by July 1st 2008.The new driving law, brought forward by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, requires motorists to use a hands-free device when using a cell phone while driving.

The new California driving law will impose a fine of $20 for a first-time offense and a $50 fine for each additional offense. The bill allows exceptions for calls to law enforcement agencies for emergency purposes, or emergency services personnel while operating an authorized emergency vehicle.

In addition to these exceptions, commercial truck drivers, tow truck drivers and operators of farming vehicles are also exempt.

The text of the new law is located here:  SB 1613 and SB 33

California SB 33

SB 33
DIGEST : This bill prohibits persons who are under the
age of 18 years from using a wireless telephone or other
mobile service device while operating a motor vehicle.
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VoIP Attacks are Real

TMCNET.com Presents A new WebCast dealing with the vulnerability behind VoIP telephone systems.

June 30, 2008 11:00am ET / 8:00am PT

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What ability does law enforcement have to monitor phone calls?

Emerging technology has raised questions about how, and under what circumstances and situations, law enforcement agencies can tap into and trace phone calls. As new and enhanced telecommunications systems develop, the debate over this issue becomes more intense.

At this point, law enforcement officers and intelligence agencies can seek permission from the courts to enact surveillance of telephone and computers as part of an investigation. They are authorized to do so by the Wiretapping Act of 1968, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA), and the Patriot Act of 2001. Investigations involving monitoring phone calls must be specifically for solving a criminal case or intended for national security purposes.

According to the 2007 Wiretap Report, federal and state courts issued 2,208 orders for the interception of wireless, local phone, or Internet communications in 2007. This represents a 20-percent increase over the previous year.

Law enforcement agencies are, when warranted, able to tape the specifics of a conversation or to trace the origins of a call without either party on the call being aware of the surveillance. Under the provisions of CALEA, this applies to all telecommunications companies including VoIP—Voice Over Internet Protocol—services.

Communications over fiber optic systems are more difficult to tap and monitor. With fiber optic technology, picking up on transmissions can be more difficult.

If a phone tap is implemented, a computer copies the digitized phone conversation to a second line and it is impossible to tell whether a line is being tapped. A well-designed tap installed on a phone wire can be difficult to detect.

The American Civil Liberties Union has fought the expansion of law enforcement surveillance practices of telephone and computer conversations for decades. However it has been mostly unsuccessful.

Assistance Capability Requirements for Wireline, Cellular, and PCS Telecommunications Carriers

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act  (CALEA)

Assistance capability requirements for wireline, cellular, and PCS telecommunications carriers

  1. (a) Definitions.
    1. Call identifying information. Call identifying information means dialing or signaling information that identifies the origin, direction, destination, or termination of each communication generated or received by a subscriber by means of any equipment, facility, or service of a telecommunications carrier. Call identifying information is “reasonably available” to a carrier if it is present at an intercept access point and can be made available without the carrier being unduly burdened with network modifications.
    2. Collection function. The location where lawfully authorized intercepted communications and call-identifying information is collected by a law enforcement agency (LEA).
    3. Content of subject-initiated conference calls. Capability that permits a LEA to monitor the content of conversations by all parties connected via a conference call when the facilities under surveillance maintain a circuit connection to the call.
    4. Destination. A party or place to which a call is being made (e.g., the called party).
    5. Dialed digit extraction. Capability that permits a LEA to receive on the call data channel a digits dialed by a subject after a call is connected to another carrier’s service for processing and routing.
    6. Direction. A party or place to which a call is re-directed or the party or place from which it came, either incoming or outgoing (e.g., a redirected-to party or redirected-from party).
    7. IAP. Intercept access point is a point within a carrier’s system where some of the communications or call-identifying information of an intercept subject’s equipment, facilities, and services are accessed.
    8. In-band and out-of-band signaling. Capability that permits a LEA to be informed when a network message that provides call identifying information (e.g., ringing, busy, call waiting signal, message light) is generated or sent by the IAP switch to a subject using the facilities under surveillance. Excludes signals generated by customer premises equipment when no network signal is generated.
    9. J-STD-025. The standard, including the latest version, developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers. This standard defines services and features to support lawfully authorized electronic surveillance, and specifies interfaces necessary to deliver intercepted communications and call-identifying information to a LEA. Subsequently, TIA and ATIS published J-STD-025-A and J-STD-025-B.
    10. Origin. A party initiating a call (e.g., a calling party), or a place from which a call is initiated.
    11. Party hold, join, drop on conference calls. Capability that permits a LEA to identify the parties to a conference call conversation at all times.
    12. Subject-initiated dialing and signaling information. Capability that permits a LEA to be informed when a subject using the facilities under surveillance uses services that provide call identifying information, such as call forwarding, call waiting, call hold, and three-way calling. Excludes signals generated by customer premises equipment when no network signal is generated.
    13. Termination. A party or place at the end of a communication path (e.g. the called or call-receiving party, or the switch of a party that has placed another party on hold).
    14. Timing information. Capability that permits a LEA to associate call-identifying information with the content of a call. A call-identifying message must be sent from the carrier’s IAP to the LEA’s Collection Function within eight seconds of receipt of that message by the IAP at least 95% of the time, and with the call event time-stamped to an accuracy of at least 200 milliseconds.
  1. In addition to the requirements in section 1.20006, wireline, cellular, and PCS telecommunications carriers shall provide to a LEA the assistance capability requirements regarding wire and electronic communications and call identifying information covered by J-STD-025 (current version), and, subject to the definitions in this section, may satisfy these requirements by complying with J-STD-025 (current version), or by another means of their own choosing. These carriers also shall provide to a LEA the following capabilities:
    1. Content of subject-initiated conference calls;
    2. Party hold, join, drop on conference calls;
    3. Subject-initiated dialing and signaling information;
    4. In-band and out-of-band signaling;
    5. Timing information;
    6. Dialed digit extraction, with a toggle feature that can activate/deactivate this capability

CALEA – Tap and Trace Capabilities

In October 1994, Congress took action to protect public safety and ensure national security by enacting the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA), Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279. The law further defines the existing statutory obligation of telecommunications carriers to assist law enforcement in executing electronic surveillance pursuant to court order or other lawful authorization. The objective of CALEA implementation is to preserve law enforcement’s ability to conduct lawfully-authorized electronic surveillance while preserving public safety, the public’s right to privacy, and the telecommunications industry’s competitiveness.

May 3, 2006 Second Report, Memorandum Opinion, and Order — The primary goal of the Order is to ensure that Law Enforcement Agencies have all of the resources that CALEA authorizes with regard to facilities-based broadband Internet access providers (ISP) and interconnected voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) providers.