Posted on August 15, 2010 by smsgov
In the telecommunications industry, we are once again hearing rumors of toll free rationing. The federal government rationed 800 numbers in 1995 until the new 888 pre-fix was introduced a year later. Now, the supply of available 1-800 numbers is again nearly depleted. This marketing tool has been so successful that the available numbers are decreasing while demand is growing at unprecedented rates. If rationing is implemented, obtaining a new toll free number will be more difficult than ever before.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: rationing, toll free, toll free ration, toll free rationing | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 15, 2010 by smsgov
Free cell phones are now being provided to needy residents of the U.S. The program is called SafeLink and is intended for low-income families and anyone receiving Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income and other government assistance programs. Safelink is being hailed as a safety program for those who cannot afford phones to stay in touch with children and family or who may need to contact police and medical personnel.
For more information on the free cell phone program go to SafeLink.com or call 1-800-977-3768.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: cell phones, phone service, toll free | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 14, 2010 by smsgov
1-866 numbers are increasing in popularity. For many subscribers, it is easier to find a suitable 1-866 number these days than a 1-800 number. They are widely recognized as toll free numbers. AT&T introduced 800 numbers in 1967. Two decades later, when most of the 7 million possible numbers were taken, the 888 pre-fix was introduced. It took just two years for that supply to run dry. The FCC then launched 877 in 1998 followed soon after by 866.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, 1-866 numbers, 866, 866 area code, 866 pre-fix numbers, toll free | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 14, 2010 by smsgov
With available 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers at all all-time low, insiders fear the numbers will run completely dry, hurting business and creating an out-of-control black market.
Experts say that consumers recognize that many of the advantages of 1-800 numbers outweigh standard local phone service. Toll free service is becoming increasingly common with parents wishing to keep in close contact with children and teens. Businesses with a 1-800 number can see almost instant increases in sales, word of mouth referrals, and a decrease in product returns and the FCC reports that toll free service is a “proven” marketing tool.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 number, 1-800, 800, 800 number, 866, 877, 888, embargo, phone numbers, toll free, toll free number, toll free numbers, toll free service | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 13, 2010 by smsgov
New York State has launched a toll free number to help address its affordable housing crisis. Through a web site and toll free number, people in need of housing can be matched with landlords. This is a brand new initiative from the New York State Department of Health and the New York Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The toll-free number to the bilingual call center is 1-877-428-8844, staffed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 800 number, hotline, toll free, toll free hotline, toll free number | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 12, 2010 by smsgov
Thirteen years after the federal government rationed the dwindling supply of toll free numbers, reports are circulating that rationing will once again be implemented. Severe shortages of 800 numbers are forcing these extreme measures as a means of protecting the limited remaining supply.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a stockpile of new 855 numbers reserved to address the shortage but these numbers are not expected to be released anytime soon. With available 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers at all all-time low, insiders fear the numbers will run completely dry, hurting business and creating an out-of-control black market.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 800 number, free, number, phone service, toll, toll free, tollfree | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 11, 2010 by smsgov
As the use of toll free phone service grows at record rates, the popularity of fiber optic toll free service is now far exceeding that of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 800 numbers, fiber optic, fiber optic phone service, fiber optics, fibre optic, phone service, toll free, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 11, 2010 by smsgov
According to regulations enacted on April 11, 1997 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) toll free phone numbers cannot be hoarded 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, hoarding, toll free, toll free hoarding, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 10, 2010 by smsgov
Toll free service is the perfect way to convey informational messages to the public. Government agencies use them all the time to provide data, instructions, and information during a crisis. Businesses are starting to use the same method.
It makes sense to put taped informational messages on toll free lines rather than on standard phone numbers. Callers who need information won’t have to pay for the call and employees wont be disrupted to repeat the same information over and over.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 numbers, 1-800, 800 numbers, phone service, toll free, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 10, 2010 by smsgov
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. More than two-thirds of the available numbers are taken and there are no immediate plans by the Federal Communications Commission to introduce a new pre-fix.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 numbers, 1-800, 800, 800 numbers, all time low, short supply, toll free, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Toll Free Service Management System News 