[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 197 (Thursday, October 12, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53157-53159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-25316]



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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 61

[CC Docket No. 95-155; FCC 95-419]


Toll Free Service Access Codes

agency: Federal Communications Commission.

action: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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summary: The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on how toll 
free numbers should be reserved, assigned, and used. Specifically, it 
proposes to take steps to promote the efficient use of toll free 
numbers; foster the fair and equitable reservation and distribution of 
toll free numbers; smooth the introduction of new toll free codes as 
numbers within operational codes are consumed; guard against 
warehousing of toll free numbers; and determine how toll free vanity 
numbers should be treated. The recent experience with 800 toll free 
numbers leads the Commission to believe that it is necessary to 
initiate a rulemaking proceeding through which the Commission seeks to 
assure that, in the future, toll free numbers are allocated on a fair, 
equitable, and orderly basis. The Commission also seeks to assure that 
the transition period during which the numbers in one toll free code 
are approaching full consumption and another code is being introduced 
is smooth, without disruption of service to existing customers or 
interruption in the availability of toll free numbers for new 
customers.

dates: Comments are due on November 1, 1995, and reply comments are due 
on November 15, 1995.

addresses: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, 
Washington, DC 20554.

for further information contact: Irene Flannery, 202-418-2373. Network 
Services Division, Common Carrier Bureau.

supplementary information: This summarizes the Commission's Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking in the matter of Toll Free Service Access Codes (CC 
Docket 95-155, adopted October 4, 1995, and released October 5, 1995). 
The file is available for inspection and copying during the weekday 
hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Commission's Reference Center, 
room 239, 1919 M Street, NW., Washington, DC, or copies may be 
purchased from the Commission's duplicating contractor, ITS, Inc., 2100 
M Street, NW., Suite 140, Washington, DC 20037, phone 202-857-3800.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The following collections of information contained in this Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking have been submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget for review under Section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. 44 U.S.C. 3507(d)). For copies of the OMB submission, 
contact Dorothy Conway at 202-418-0217 or via internet to 
[email protected]. Comments are solicited on the Commission's need for 
this information, whether the information will have practical utility, 
the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and 
any suggested methods for minimizing respondents' burden, including the 
use of automated information techniques. Persons wishing to comment on 
the collections of information should direct their comments to Timothy 
Fain, Office of Management and Budget, Room 101236NEOB, Washington, DC 
20503, phone 202-395-3561 or via internet at [email protected]. 
Comments must be filed with the Office of Management and Budget within 
60 days of this publication. A copy of any comments 

[[Page 53158]]
filed with the Office of Management and Budget should also be sent to 
the following address at the Commission: Federal Communications 
Commission, Records Management Branch, room 234, Paperwork Reduction 
Project, Washington, DC 20553. For further information, contact Judy 
Boley, 202-418-0214.
    Title: Toll Free Service Access Codes.
    Action: Proposed collections.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit, including small 
business.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Annual Burden:

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                                           Paragraph                                                            
               Collection                     No.           Hours per response         Total annual responses   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recordkeeping...........................           13  10 minutes.................  4 million.                  
Reporting...............................           31  1..........................  1.                          
Certification...........................           34  30 minutes.................  138.                        
Coding..................................           44  30 minutes.................  4 million.                  
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    Total Annual Hours: 2,664,079.
    Needs and Uses: The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking solicits public 
comments to respond to the requests of industry to smooth the 
transition to an expanded set of toll free service access codes, 
starting with 888 and eventually deploying 877, 866, and so forth. In 
light of the rapid unanticipated depletion recently experienced with 
800 numbers, the Commission is compelled to initiate this rulemaking 
proceeding.

Analysis of Proceeding

Background

    Toll free service differs from traditional telephone service in 
that the charges for toll free calls received are paid by the called 
party (i.e., the 800 subscriber). Toll free numbers are contained in a 
database known as the SMS/800. To obtain a toll free number, a 
subscriber must choose an entity responsible for managing that 
subscriber's SMS/800 record and coordinating with the service providers 
that will provide the subscriber's toll free service. (That entity is 
known as a RespOrg.) RespOrgs can gain access to and modify the 
subscriber's record in the SMS/800 database. There are currently 
approximately 138 RespOrgs.
    Toll free service has proven to be very popular because it provides 
callers with a free and convenient means of contacting parties holding 
toll free numbers. Toll free numbers are widely used today for business 
purposes, personal needs, and for access to such services as voice mail 
and paging devices. The original toll free service access code was 800. 
Of the approximately 8 million 800 numbers originally available, less 
than 800,000 800 numbers are available for subscribers today.
    Earlier in 1995, the industry selected 888 as the first relief toll 
free code and reserved 877, 866, 855, 844, 833, and 822 as the 
subsequent relief toll free codes. The industry originally estimated 
that modification in the local exchange networks to enable use of 888 
numbers would not be completed until April 1, 1996. The 888 deployment 
date has now been advanced to March 1, 1996. After a week in June 1995 
in which over 113,000 800 numbers were assigned, the industry 
approached the Common Carrier Bureau for assistance because of fears 
that the supply of 800 numbers would be depleted well in advance of the 
deployment of 888 numbers. The Bureau developed a conservation plan 
designed to slow the depletion of 800 numbers.

Summary

    To prevent unnecessarily rapid depletion of the scarce numbering 
resource, we must ensure that toll free numbers are used efficiently. 
To that end, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking first seeks comment on: 
(1) Making sure that toll free numbers are available to subscribers who 
need and want them rather than reserved or assigned to consumers or 
businesses who did not ask for them; (2) requiring a one time deposit 
into an escrow account for each toll free number held in reserve status 
by RespOrgs, 800 Service Providers, third party agents and/or toll free 
service subscribers; (3) revising the process for recycling previously 
used toll free numbers; and (4) using personal identification numbers 
(``PINs'') to expand the number of users who can use a single toll free 
number.
    Second, given the problems that arose with 800 numbers, as well as 
the heightened interest in and demand for toll free numbers, it is 
particularly important to have policies in place well in advance of the 
deployment of new toll free codes. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
seeks comment on proposals regarding: (1) The reservation of new toll 
free codes; (2) the phased opening of new toll free service; (3) the 
implementation plan for the next toll free code beyond 888; and (4) the 
tracking of toll free number usage.
    Toll free numbers are currently reserved on a ``first come, first 
served'' basis. Because this procedure seems to enable large RespOrgs 
with multiple terminals that can access the database to reserve mass 
quantities of toll free numbers in rapid order and may, as a result 
place smaller, less technologically sophisticated RespOrgs at a 
competitive disadvantage, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes 
amending the ``first come, first served'' reservation system. The 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also proposes activating new toll free 
codes gradually to avoid a ``run on the bank'' of new toll free 
numbers.
    In an effort to prevent an exhaust situation in which all toll free 
numbers from existing codes have been assigned by the time a new code 
is opened, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes that the planning 
for the introduction of new toll free codes start well in advance of 
the projected total consumption of the previous toll free codes. The 
early planning proposals include identifying a trigger that would alert 
the industry that the current toll free code is nearing depletion and 
that the next toll free code should be prepared for deployment, and 
mandating the implementation of a new toll free code on six months 
notice. To further facilitate planning and implementation, the Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking proposes requiring the administrator of the SMS/
800 database, currently Database Service Management, Inc., to submit 
periodic reports to the Commission on the use of toll free numbers.
    Third, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on the 
alleged warehousing and hoarding of toll free numbers. Warehousing 
occurs when RespOrgs obtain toll free numbers from the database without 
having an actual customer to whom those numbers are to be assigned. 
Hoarding occurs when a toll free subscriber acquires more numbers from 
a RespOrg than it immediately intends to use. Despite voluntary 
guidelines limiting the quantity of toll free numbers that RespOrgs may 
reserve, the rapid 

[[Page 53159]]
depletion of 800 numbers prompted growing concern that 800 numbers were 
being warehoused and hoarded. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
proposes imposing a permanent cap on the quantity of numbers a RespOrg 
may hold in reserve status at any one time and requiring that RespOrgs 
certify to the Commission that they have actual subscribers for each 
number drawn from the SMS/800 database.
    Fourth, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on 
assignment of vanity numbers. A vanity number is a telephone number for 
which the letters associated with the number's digits on a telephone 
handset spell a word of value to the number holder (e.g., ``1-800-
FLOWERS'' and ``1-800-THECARD''). For the purposes of this Notice, 
vanity numbers also include any numbers in which holders have a 
particular interest, be it economic or otherwise. The Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on whether the current holder of a 
vanity 800 number should have a superior right vis-a-vis all other 
interested parties to receive the equivalent 888 number, as well as any 
right such a holder would have to the equivalent number in subsequent 
toll free codes.
    Fifth, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on issues 
related to toll free Directory Assistance, administration of the SMS/
800, and public awareness of and industry participation in the 
implementation process. 800 Directory Assistance is currently a 
monopoly service provided by AT&T. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
proposes combining 800 Director Assistance and 888 Directory 
Assistance, and eventually Directory Assistance for subsequent toll 
free codes, into an interchangeable toll free Directory Assistance 
service. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also seeks comment on 
whether Database Services Management, Inc. should continue to 
administer the toll free databases or whether some other entity should 
assume that responsibility. Further, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
seeks comment on whether public awareness initiatives, in addition to 
those industry has already taken, are necessary to ensure that the 
public is informed about the deployment of new toll free codes.
    Sixth, to prevent one or a few RespOrgs from laying claim to large 
percentages of a new toll free service access code on the day it 
becomes available, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on a 
``circuit breaker'' model designed to regulate the rate at which toll 
free numbers can be drawn from the database. The impetus for this 
proposal is the recent experience when the 800-555 code was opened. On 
the day it became available, one carrier claimed approximately 90% of 
the numbers that were available. This froze out many small RespOrgs and 
was widely regarded as unfair, although permitted by the industry 
guidelines. The Commission believes that it would be sensible to 
consider a circuit breaker mechanism to prevent a repeat of this 
problem. Circuit breakers, in the context of securities trading, are 
designed to limit program trading in volatile markets by restricting 
access to computerized trading systems and by allowing the markets to 
cool off by suspending trading for short periods of time. While a 
circuit breaker model in the toll free context could not be identical 
to one in the securities context, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
proposes a model that has an effect over the toll free market similar 
to the effect the circuit breaker rules have over the securities 
market.
    Finally, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on how 888 
and subsequent toll free codes should be tariffed. Since the Commission 
believes that 800 and 888 will be used interchangeably and are 
functionally the same, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking tentatively 
concludes that 888 and subsequent toll free codes should be treated, 
for tariffing purposes, like existing 800 services. As a result, the 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also tentatively concludes that the 
existing Part 69 provisions for 800 service would also cover 888 
service and local exchange carriers would not need to obtain a waiver.

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 
Sec. 601, et seq., this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking may require 
RespOrgs and 800 Service Providers to have a written request from a 
toll free subscriber before assigning a toll free number and may be 
required to retain such record for two years. The administrator of the 
SMS/800 database, currently Database Services Management, Inc., will be 
required to submit periodic reports to the Commission on toll free 
number utilization. RespOrgs will be required to certify, under penalty 
of false statement, the accuracy of certain subscriber information.
    The Secretary shall send a copy of the Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, including the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to 
the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in 
accordance with paragraph 603(a) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 
Public Law 96-354, 94 Stat. 1164, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. (1981).
    Written public comments are requested in the Initial Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis. These comments must be filed in accordance with 
the same filing procedures as other comments in this proceeding, but 
they must also have a separate and distinct heading designating them as 
responses to the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis.

Ordering Clauses

    Accordingly, It Is Ordered, That pursuant to Sections 1, 201-205, 
218 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 161, 154, 
201-205, 218, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is hereby provided.
    It Is Further Ordered That, the Secretary shall send a copy of this 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 
Small Business Administration in accordance with paragraph 603(a) of 
the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Public Law 96-354, 94 Stat. 1164, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq. (1981).

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 61

    Communications common carriers, Telecommunications.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
FR Doc. 95-25316 Filed 10-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-M