Implementation of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC’s) plans for the establishment of a single, comprehensive reassigned numbers database has been pushed back until next year.
Last December, the FCC adopted the long-awaited rule creating a reassigned numbers database to be administered by a third party selected through a competitive bidding process. The agency did not put a strict timetable in place, but expected to roll out the database within a 12-month period.
Since the rule was adopted, multiple petitions seeking reconsideration of certain aspects of the order were filed. The time period for working on the technical recommendations for the database was extended first to September 2019 and now to January 2020.
Once the technical specifications are complete, the third-party administrator will need to be selected and the database filled with information from the telephone carriers—meaning a mid- to late-2020 start date is likely in order.
To read the FCC’s order, click here.
Why it matters: “We are mindful of the need to establish an operational database as soon as possible,” the FCC wrote in its order. Despite the agency’s mindfulness, launch of the database looks to be postponed for at least several more months.