The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has established guidelines involving key terms and the disposition of excess funds for the reassigned number database being deployed to address the problem of unwanted calls to consumers with numbers reassigned from a previous consumer.
In a Public Notice released April 16, 2020, the FCC addressed the following:
- Definitions of Reassigned Numbers Database Responses: “Yes,” “No,” and “No Data.” – The FCC sets forth its understanding of the definition of the terms “yes,” “no” and “no data” which are the three “responses” the database will to users querying it.
- Definition of “Cost.” – The FCC explains its understanding that “costs” for purposes of the Reassigned Numbers Database include a reasonable profit for the Reassigned Numbers Database Administrator.
- Disposition of Excess Funds. Finally, the FCC sets forth how the Administrator will distribute excess funds collected if it collects more money from subscription fees than is needed to fund the Reassigned Numbers Database in a given year.
The FCC’s guidelines are based on a review of materials previously provided by the North American Numbering Council and reported in TCPAWorld.