New Phone Numbers Necessary

It is imperative that the new toll free phone numbers are released as soon as possible. Toll free is now a necessity for businesses, large and small. And on the heels of the recession, these new numbers will help existing businesses stay afloat plus will help new entrepreneurs start up their companies and instantly gain a large customer base.

New Release of Numbers Will Ease Concerns

Business owners concerned over the dearth of good toll free numbers in recent years are relieved that it appears there will be a supply of lucrative new toll free phone numbers made available by 2011. This is a change that the industry has been waiting on for several years now.

Anticipation Mounting Over Turn-Around

Anticipation is mounting about the expected surge of new toll free phone numbers. It’s great to see that particular aspect of the industry expected to turn around over the next 18 months. Millions of toll free users and business owners are relieved and excited about this good news.

CALEA in Detail

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

What You Need to Know About CALEA

On September 21, 2001, the FCC released Order FCC 01-265. In the Order, the FCC granted in part the relief requested by CTIA by temporarily suspending the September 30, 2001, compliance date for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers to implement two punch list capabilities mandated by the Third Report and Order FCC 99-230. Also, the FCC denied CTIA’s request for a blanket extension of the September 30, 2001, compliance deadline for these carriers to implement a packet-mode communications capability. However, due to the imminence of the packet-mode compliance deadline, the FCC granted these carriers until November 19, 2001, either to come into compliance or seek individual relief. You can read the news announcement regarding Order FCC 01-265.

Read more here.

Verizon Stands Up to Comcast

Verizon Communications Inc. has told Comcast Corp. that its Verizon-bashing “Don’t Fall for FiOS” advertisements are false and asked the cable giant to fix them in a “cease and desist” letter. Among other advertising claims, Comcast says that a comparable triple-play bundle of TV, phone and Internet service from Verizon can cost $400 more a year, after promotions expire, than one from Comcast. Meanwhile, Comcast faces heightened competition from Verizon and AT&T Inc., which are investing billions of dollars into new equipment to deliver TV and Internet along with their phone service in Comcast’s core markets. Verizon or AT&T compete in about 25 percent of Comcast’s franchise areas.

Hearings planned for Verizon/Frontier merger

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.

NASUCA Criticizes Hike In Interstate Phone Fees

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.

Scarcity of 800 Numbers Becomes Concern

The question of just how many really good toll free numbers remain available for new subscribers continues to circle throughout the telecommunications world. While we don’t have a precise figure, we can say for certain that the well is running dry. Experts advise that anyone interested in a toll free number should consider getting one immediately. There are an average of between 6,000 and 8,000 new toll free numbers registered daily. With a limited number of numerical possibilities, the finite supply could eventually be depleted.

North Carolina State House Frees Phone Companies from Oversight

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NC House Frees Phone Companies from Oversight
August 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

The North Carolina State House has decided to free local telephone service providers from state regulation that for decades made sure the companies justified their prices, responded to consumer complaints and maintained service standards. The House members voted to allow 16 providers to cut loose from the Utilities Commission which sets conditions on rates, terms, and quality of their services.
Supporters said the phone companies need price deregulation because their former monopoly positions have been eroded under competition from wireless, Internet and cable television companies that are not regulated.