Last week, the FCC released an order reducing the time allowed for wireline companies to complete "simple" wireline and intermodal ports from four days to one business day.  "Simple" ports are those that:  1) do not involve unbundled network elements; 2) involve an account only for a single line; 3) do not include complex switch translations (e.g., Centrex, ISDN, AIN services, remote call forwarding, or multiple services on the loop); and 4) do not include a reseller.  The shortened interval applies to all simple wireline-to-wireline and intermodal ports, unless a longer period is requested by the new provider or the customer elects otherwise.  As a service to clients, JSI has posted a detailed explanation of the order in a "Q&A" format on MyJSI.

To implement its new ruling, the FCC charged the North American Numbering Council (NANC) with developing new local number portability (LNP) provisioning process flows.  The FCC instructed NANC to take the shortened porting interval into account and submit revised provisioning flows within 90 days after the order's effective date.  (The order becomes effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register; thus, the deadline for NANC to submit new process flows will be no sooner than mid-September).  Included among the items NANC will decide are how a "business day" should be interpreted in reference to the porting interval and whether companies should be required to use a mechanized interface in the porting process.  Once NANC develops the new process flows, all companies not qualifying as "small" will have nine months to implement the shortened interval; "small" companies will have fifteen months to comply.

JSI encourages clients that are concerned about meeting the one-business-day porting interval to provide us with information we can use in seeking to educate NANC as it develops the new provisioning flows.  Specifically, we are looking for client input on how to define a business day for purposes of the shortened interval as well as any data companies have regarding the burdens associated with implementing a mechanized interface.  JSI will use this data as we participate in joint advocacy efforts before NANC with the rural telecom associations.  Although rural companies will not be required to implement the shortened interval for (at least) 19 months, NANC is developing the process flows now.  Thus, any concerns you may have must be raised now if we hope to influence the final outcome of NANC's revisions.

Clients that have any input or data to provide or that may have questions regarding the FCC's order, can contact Bridget Alexander (balexander@jsitel.com) or Karen Hoffman (khoffman@jsitel.com) in JSI's Maryland office, at 301-459-7590, or you can use the message boards on MyJSI.