INC Report to the NANC September 2000 Norman Epstein INC Moderator

Report Overview  Upcoming INC Meetings  NPA Workshop  NANP Expansion  Block Pooling  LNPA Workshop  CO/NXX Workshop

Upcoming INC Meetings  September 22nd: Full INC Conference Call  Sept. 29th NPA Conference Call/Virtual Meeting  October 2-3: Interim CO/NXX Workshop (ATIS) Washington DC  October 4-6: Interim LNPA Workshop (ATIS)Washington  October 30th: CIC Workshop Conference Call  November 13-17: INC 53 - Tysons Corner, VA

NPA Workshop  INC has received correspondence through the NANPA that Guyana may wish to make a presentation to the INC regarding their application to the NANP.  INC has indicated to the NANPA that INC deals with number administration issues and technical issues and does not deal with policy issues on this subject.

NPA Workshop Split Rate Center Issue : –When states override Industry Guidelines and authorize the splitting of a rate center in NPA relief, the consequence is that carriers need codes in the new NPA side of the rate center. –INC needs direction on how to meet this need along with carrier’s growth codes, while not conflicting with the NRO Order, specifically the percent utilization and Months-to-Exhaust required at a rate center level.

NANP Expansion INC commends the CRTC for its thorough evaluation and agreement with the INC assumptions CRTC intends to further address clearing D-digit uses, eliminating 1 as a toll indicator, and setting respective time frames for each CRTC believes it is imperative that a fundamental expansion plan be finalized and agreed to by all NANP nations by Sept INC has received responses only from the FCC and the CRTC as of Sept. 12, 2000

LNPA Workshop INC will be releasing the next issue of the Thousands-Block Number (NXX-X) Pooling Administration Guidelines on Sept. 22, This issuance of the guidelines is not producing a document that is complete with regard to FCC and other related matters INC plans to reissue the guidelines in the next two months INC is focused on UNP and understands that work on ITN is being addressed at the NRO Working Group.

CO/NXX Workshop The NANPA has currently been directed by the FCC to use the criteria of the MTE on a rate center basis in all situations including new switches and specific customer requests. INC feels that this practice prevents SPs from effectively configuring their networks to meet customer needs. This negatively impacts requests for numbering resources for new switches and multiple switches in the same rate center, and prevents network growth to serve new customers. INC believes this is inconsistent with the FCC objective stated in Para 3 of the NRO order which states that optimization should: “ensure sufficient access to numbering resources for all service providers to enter into or to compete in telecommunications markets.”

INC Concerns INC has expedited its process; however, there are several questions for clarification that have not been answered by the FCC. INC plans to reissue the Central Office Code (NXX) Assignment Guidelines and Thousands-Block Number (NXX-X) Pooling Guidelines even though not all clarification requested has been received.