[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2439 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2439

        To ensure the efficient allocation of telephone numbers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 1, 1999

 Mr. Kucinich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To ensure the efficient allocation of telephone numbers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The premature exhaustion of telephone area codes causes 
        economic dislocation for businesses and unnecessary 
        inconvenience for households.
            (2) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104) 
        was enacted with the objective of facilitating the development 
        of competitive markets in telecommunications services. The 
        efficient allocation of telephone numbers would further the 
        achievement of that objective.
            (3) The technology and procedures for the efficient 
        allocation of telephone numbers are currently in place in many 
        areas and are in the process of being implemented nationwide.
            (4) The combination of rapid growth in competition for 
        telecommunication services and the inefficient allocation of 
        numbering resources devoted to such services will result in the 
        creation of scores of new telephone area codes, almost all of 
        which will become wholly unnecessary once procedures for the 
        efficient allocation of telephone numbers are in place.
            (5) The potential exhaustion of available area codes within 
        the North American Numbering Plan (``NANP'') would require that 
        1 or more digits be added to all telephone numbers in the 
        United States, creating massive disruptions and costs for all 
        consumers, businesses, institutions, and governments comparable 
        to the ``Year 2000'' computer problem, except that, unlike the 
        ``Year 2000'' problem, the potential for area code exhaustion 
        is entirely avoidable if efficient and effective number 
        conservation measures are adopted and implemented without undue 
        delay.
            (6) State regulatory authorities have the interest and 
        capability to tailor mechanisms to conserve telephone numbers 
        to the needs of the telecommunications markets.
            (7) Mechanisms for the conservation of telephone numbers 
        can be implemented without impeding competition for 
        telecommunications services.

SEC. 2. EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF TELEPHONE NUMBERS.

    (a) Plan.--Not later than December 31, 2000, the Federal 
Communications Commission shall develop and implement a plan for the 
efficient allocation of telephone numbers.
    (b) Elements.--The plan under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) include mechanisms to ensure full portability of 
        telephone numbers among services and service providers within 
        individual rating areas, and establish rules applicable to 
        service providers not subject to or otherwise not in compliance 
        with such number portability requirements, including the 
        segregation of services furnished by such service providers 
        into separate area codes or service access codes, for the 
        purpose of maximizing the effectiveness of number conservation 
        measures requiring number portability within the area codes in 
        which such measures are to be implemented;
            (2) provide for full sharing of unassigned telephone 
        numbers among telecommunications carriers;
            (3) take into account any telecommunications technology 
        widely available as of December 31, 2000, that requires a 
        telephone number; and
            (4) consider and take steps to minimize the total societal 
        costs and impacts of the plan for the efficient allocation of 
        telephone numbers and any specific number relief or 
        conservation measures that may arise therefrom.
    (c) Delegation of Numbering Jurisdiction.--Until the Commission has 
fully implemented the plan required by subsection (a), the Commission 
shall, upon the request of a State commission, delegate to the State 
commission the jurisdiction of the Commission over telecommunications 
numbering with respect to the State under section 251(e)(1) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)(1)) to the extent that 
such delegation will permit the State commission to implement measures 
to conserve telephone numbers, including measures as follows:
            (1) To establish minimum use and so-called ``fill'' rate 
        requirements for central office codes.
            (2) To conduct audits of the use of telephone numbers and 
        central office codes.
            (3) To require telecommunications carriers to return unused 
        or underused central office codes and to return central office 
        codes that have been obtained in a manner contrary to Federal 
        or State numbering guidelines or protocols.
            (4) To establish individual number pooling, mandatory 1000-
        block pooling, and interim unassigned number porting.
            (5) To ration central office codes.
            (6) To develop and establish dialing protocols applicable 
        for calls placed within the same area code or local calling 
        area (or both) of the calling party that will consider, in 
        addition to the potential effect upon competition, matters of 
        public convenience and safety and the public interest 
        generally.
            (7) To develop and implement, where the State commission 
        finds it to be in the public interest and supportive of number 
        conservation measures that it may adopt, area code relief 
        measures involving the use of overlay area codes applicable to 
        telecommunications service providers not subject to or 
        otherwise not in compliance with local number portability, 
        including a requirement that existing telephone numbers 
        assigned to or in use (or both) by such service providers be 
        transferred to the overlay area code, and including a 
        requirement that calls placed within a calling party's home 
        area code continue to be dialable on a 7-digit basis.
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