Industry Backs NAPM Rollback Plan, FCC Intervention to Resolve LNPA Transition Dispute
Telecom players backed FCC efforts to ensure the transition from Neustar to iconectiv as local number portability administrator is completed on time without disruptions. They also sided with the manual contingency plan of North American Portability Management and its transition…
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oversight manager (TOM) over Neustar's call for an automated solution (see 1801290046). With an April 8 regional system cutover nearing, telecom carriers and groups cited the importance of the plan to roll back LNPA functions to Neustar "in the unlikely event" that the initial handoff to iconectiv fails. Discussions between the key players broke down "despite the availability of a well-thought contingency roll back plan initially developed by the TOM and iconectiv, with participation and input provided by Neustar, and ultimately accepted by the NAPM," said a filing Tuesday in docket 09-109 by USTelecom, CTIA, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, CenturyLink, AT&T, Frontier Communications and Consolidated Communications on a discussion Friday with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. They said NAPM, after consulting with stakeholders, decided on a process that was consistent with industry practices, created efficiencies and aligned with the transition timeline. "The TOM facilitated at least five industry meetings, in which it was decided that a manual, rather than automated, contingency roll back process would be the most reasonable approach," said the parties. But noting recent public comments and filings suggesting the transition is at risk (see 1801250037), they asked the FCC to encourage the parties "to resolve this issue in a way that maintains" the timeline, and "to focus on the task at hand and avoid any rhetorical exchanges that undermine confidence in the LNPA transition." Pai Friday sent a letter to NAPM, the TOM, Neustar and iconectiv demanding they report back on a solution by Feb. 16 (see 1802020070). NAPM backed Telcordia (iconectiv) opposition to Neustar's request the FCC remove confidentiality protections from Article 19 of a "Master Services Agreement" covering iconectiv as the new LNPA (see 1801310042).