FCC Makes Arrest in Toll Free Brokering Sting

According to the FCC, anyone who is caught hoarding or selling toll free numbers will face severe penalties. In the past these have included an $11,000 fine per incident.

The demand for 800 numbers is at an all-time high. Finite supplies of available 800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers are plummeting. Making the situation worse, hopes that the new 855 numbers would soon be released have been dashed as insiders report the launch of the numbers may be held off until 2011. Meanwhile more than two-thirds of available numbers have been taken and millions of news numbers are registered each year.

According to the FCC, toll free numbers are becoming increasingly popular for business and personal use.

Read more here.

1-800 Number Supply Dramatically Reduced

With more than 8,000 toll free numbers registered each day, the supply of available numbers is quickly depleting. This scarcity is causing a rush to obtain new toll free numbers or obtain disconnected numbers returned back to the system.

Toll free numbers were introduced in 1967. By the 1980s, nearly half of all long distance calls would be toll free. Today, 98 percent of adults say they regularly use toll free numbers. Meanwhile, the supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are at an all-time low.

Read more here.

Shortage + Demand = Crisis

Telecommunications industry sources now say an unthinkable embargo on new toll free phone service in the United States is a real possibility within the next year. Facing a severe shortage of available 800-numbers, a skyrocketing demand for toll free service and an emerging black market for 800 numbers, insiders say officials feel they are left with no choice but to impose an embargo.

Read more here.

Most 800 Numbers Unavailable

UPDATE: The scarcity of toll free numbers is having an impact on telecom businesses nationwide. At&t no longer has 800 area codes available through it’s online toll free lookup tool. A number of other providers have followed suit and stopped offering the 800 numbers to their telephone subscribers.

Read more here.

Toll Free Hoarding Isn’t Just Unfair, It’s Illegal

The owner of a valuable 800 toll free number who attempted to illegally sell the number to an undercover agent faces stiff fines according to regulations set by the Federal Communications Commission.

Read more here.

Supply of 800 Area Codes Remain Low

Experts warn that the U.S. supply of available 1-800 numbers, dwindling for years, is now nearly depleted. Toll free numbers enable 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 1-800 numbers are decreasing while demand is growing at unprecedented rates.

Increasing Prices of 800 Numbers Could Hurt Economy

Due to the ongoing scarcity of 800 area code phone numbers, recent reports are indicating that phone companies are beginning to raise the cost to obtain 800 numbers.

Many providers are expected to follow suit.

Read more here.

Selling Toll Free Numbers is No Laughing Matter

In an unstable economy, small businesses need reliable marketing tools to increase the flow of new and repeat business and compete with bigger, sustained companies. Toll free numbers instantly win customer confidence and give new businesses the jump start they need to grow into sustained companies.

Advisers say the best way to obtain a toll free number before supply runs out is to use a legal, reliable toll free service provider that has access to the database of available numbers.

Read more here.

FCC Focuses on Illegal Sale of Toll Free Numbers

The FCC does not play a role in the assignment of numbers to subscribers. However they do set and regulate the guidelines under which 800 numbers can be used and obtained. According to the FCC, hoarding and warehousing numbers is prohibited and punishable with severe fines.

Read more here.

Is a Toll Free Phone Service Embargo in the U.S. Possible?

Telecommunications industry sources now say an unthinkable embargo on new toll free phone service in the United States is a real possibility within the next year. Facing a severe shortage of available 800-numbers, a skyrocketing demand for toll free service and an emerging black market for 800 numbers, insiders say officials feel they are left with no choice but to impose an embargo.

Read more here.