NARUC Challenges FCC’s Authority on iVoIP Numbering

On December 23, 2015, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit against the FCC, claiming that the Commission overstepped its authority by extending numbering rights to unclassified carriers. NARUC’s petition states that the FCC has not classified VoIP carriers as either an information service provider or a telecommunications carrier for more than 10 years. NARUC looks at the issuing of direct access to numbers to interconnected VoIP carriers (iVoIPs) as a pre-emption of states’ authority to certify carriers and protect the public interest.

JSI will be following this case and the implementation of iVoIP direct access to numbering. Additional analysis of the implications and any developments will be discussed in future issues of The LNP Standard newsletter.

Contact Valerie Wimer or Bridget Alexander in JSI’s Maryland office at 301-459-7590 if you have questions or would like information about subscribing to The LNP Standard.

Source: JSI e-Lert