Posted on October 2, 2009 by smsgov
The New York Times has reported that Verizon has agreed to sell divisions that offer service to 4.8 million phone lines in 14 states to Frontier Communications for $3.3 billion in cash and $5.2 billion in Frontier stock. Hearings are set to hash out the details but if it all goes through as planned the deal will triple the size of Frontier, a collection of rural phone companies. As part of the reported deal, Verizon will wind up owning at least two-thirds of Frontier’s shares. The move allows Verizon to concentrate on its wireless business and on serving large companies. The company says that after the deal, only 15 percent of its revenue will come from residential customers.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: phone service, telecommunications, toll free, wireless | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 2, 2009 by smsgov
There is a misconception that changing toll free carriers will cause an interruption in phone service. Carriers need to make sure subscribers understand that in most instances service can be transferred without any down time. If working with quality companies, the subscriber should fine the transfer to be seamless. The bulk of the work is completed before the new phone company forwards a transfer request and this process should take just a few days. To educate the consumer, toll free providers should discuss the transfer process with potential subscribers who may be suffering with poor quality toll free service because they fear costly interruptions if they transfer.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, toll free, toll free transfer | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 1, 2009 by smsgov
Toll free service has gone through several incarnations over the past four decades. First, 800 numbers were primarily used by big business. This is still the case—almost all of the Fortune 500 companies have an 800 number. Then, toll free service became more affordable and easy to obtain, causing a surge in use by small businesses, online companies, and not-for-profits. Now, personal use is all the rage.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 800, 800 numbers, 866, 877, 888, home phone, local, local numbers, numbers, phone number, phone numbers, toll free | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 1, 2009 by smsgov
The FCC has been clamping down on violations of Section 251 (e) of the Communications Act of 1934, which prohibits the warehousing and hoarding of numbers. To ensure that toll free numbers are distributed in a fair and equitable way, the FCC is taking a close look at suspect activity. Recently they threatened an $11,000 daily fine to the owners of a California company for improper toll free use. This followed a string of unrelated instances, including at least one owner’s attempt to sell his numbers on eBay.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, fcc law, toll free brokering, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 30, 2009 by smsgov
The proposed hike in the interstate telephone contribution that consumers might soon be paying into the Universal Service Fund was recently criticized by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. The increase would bring the USF contribution to 12.9% of a users bill, compared with the current 11.4%. Every telephone user in the country pays into the USF already. The monies are used to maintain and subsidize rural telephone service to places where it would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
The USF is controlled by the Universal Service Administrative Company, and overseen by a joint board consisting of FCC and state-level commissioners.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, fcc, phone service, telecommunications, toll free | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 30, 2009 by smsgov
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.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 800, 800 number, 800 numbers, toll free | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 29, 2009 by smsgov
The debate about toll free phone service continues. There has been a lot of discussion about concerns that the supply of available 1-800 numbers is nearly exhausted. There have not been any new toll free numbers introduced in the past nine years and an estimated 8,000 numbers or so are assigned each day. With demand high and supplies low telecommunications leaders are worried that this will create a real economic problem for United States businesses. Others argue that the problem is not too bad, yet. The debate continues.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, toll free number, toll free rationing | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 29, 2009 by smsgov
Rather than merely act as a memorable address for a website, a .tel domain is designed to serve as a repository for contact data. By listing phone numbers, websites, Google keywords, physical addresses and email addresses in their .tel entry, the registry’s operators have it, companies and individuals can make themselves much easier to get hold of.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: .tel, domain extention, domain name, tel tld, tld | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 28, 2009 by smsgov
As with any commodity in high demand, a black market for toll free numbers is growing. And we here that regulators are scrambling to control the illegal sales of valuable 800 numbers. With toll free service soaring in popularity while finite supplies of available numbers drop, attempts to illegally buy and sell choice numbers on the black market is increasing.
According to regulations enacted in 1997 by FCC, toll free phone numbers cannot be sold or brokered. These rules were approved after the FCC fielded numerous complaints about price gouging for catchy vanity numbers and popular numeric sequences. The FCC reports that anyone caught attempting to sell or broker an 800 number faces significant fines.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, black market, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 28, 2009 by smsgov
Is concern growing about the diminishing stock of 800 numbers? It appears to be. Higher demand for toll free service, especially in this economy, is depleting stocks of good numbers. Studies show that telephone orders can increase up to 60 percent and word of mouth referrals can rise by 200 percent if a toll free number is advertised. These types of statistics bring in thousands of new toll free subscribers every day. And these subscribers want access to a good supply of available numbers.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, toll free numbers, toll free service | Leave a comment »
Toll Free Service Management System News 