FCC LNP Porting Requirements Effective June 25

FCC local number portability rules on porting interval and validation requirements take effect June 25 after a summary of the commission's June 20, 2014, order was published in Tuesday's Federal Register. The order adopted several recommendations of the North American Numbering Council (NANC) to make changes to "provisioning flows" intended to improve the process for number porting, which allows consumers to keep their phone numbers when they change carriers but not locations. "These improvements include revising existing processes for cancelling a number port request, clarifying the timeline for re-using disconnected ported numbers, and stopping new service providers from prematurely activating ports," the order said. "We clarify that, notwithstanding the NANC's preference for area code overlays over area code splits, the states still have the option to choose the best means of implementing area code relief for their citizens."