As many people in the United States give up their home phones to use only their cell phones, the Federal Communications Commission is working to give users the ability to transfer their home numbers to their wireless phones.
Beginning Nov. 24, cell phone carriers must allow consumers to take their cell phone numbers with them if they switch carriers. On Monday, the FCC also approved requiring local phone companies to allow customers to switch their home or business numbers to wireless phones by Nov. 24.
The only limitation is that the wired phone the consumer wants to switch must be in the wireless carrier’s local calling area, as is typically true with the big phone service providers. This means that the user cannot take the number to a cell provider across the country.
However, many local phone companies have resisted the move. Three of the four regional Bells, including SBC, BellSouth and Qwest, have said they should only have to transfer numbers if their customer’s phone and the new wireless provider’s call routes are in the same local area, significantly limiting the number of consumers eligible. These Bell companies say they do not have an equal chance to attract wireless customers to switch numbers to traditional phones because mobile company local calling areas are much larger than theirs.
SBC Senior Vice President-FCC James Smith said they are anxious to understand how the FCC has resolved some very complex implementation, compliance and state regulatory issues in a way that is fair to customers, the providers and all parties involved.
“In preparation for the change, SBC Communications Inc. encourages customers to thoroughly research their decision before deciding to switch or to ‘cut the cord’ all together,” Smith said in a statement Monday. “For customers who want reliability, convenience, security and access to essential emergency service, we encourage customers to keep both their wireless and wireline services.”
According to research firms, about 5.8 million people have cut off wired home phone service to relying only on their cell phones.
University of Wisconsin junior Lauren Arnold said she ditched her apartment phone to use only her cell phone because it offered a better deal. She added that the ability to switch the number would be easier.
“It simplifies life,” Arnold said. “It’s a huge problem to tell everyone you know that you have a new number.”
Arnold said she has about 400 people’s phone numbers and that contacting every one of them to let them know of a new number is “ridiculous.”
Most of the FCC’s five commissioners say they are leaning toward the proposal, which is the last unresolved piece of a broad plan to let consumers shop for better phone deals without having to get a new number if they decide to switch providers.
Initially, FCC staff recommended limiting the regulation of home-to-cell number transfers to cases where the number and wireless equipment are in the same local calling area. A separate proceeding, which could take up to a year to complete, would have resolved the Bells’ cell-to-home issue.
However, many FCC officials now admit that there is little demand to switch numbers from wireless back to regular phones. They say the billing issue can be resolved while number transfers from traditional to wireless phones begin.
