Neustar Asks FCC To Open Proposed Telcordia LNPA Contract to Public Scrutiny
Neustar asked the FCC to make public a proposed agreement governing Telcordia's services as the next local number portability administrator. Neustar, the LNPA incumbent, appealed a Wireline Bureau protective order that the company said prevents its personnel and others from…
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reviewing the master service agreement (MSA) between North American Portability Management and Telcordia, also known as iconectiv. "Those restrictions are facially discriminatory, in violation of the Communications Act, and plainly unnecessary to protect legitimate proprietary business information," Neustar said in an application for review by the full commission filed Monday in docket 07-149. "The Commission should reverse the [bureau] decision and require publication of the entire MSA or, at a minimum, limit any redaction of confidential information to material that is genuinely proprietary and confidential." The entire MSA was submitted to the FCC as a confidential document, and the bureau protective order "is so broad" that the only individuals allowed to see the agreement are lawyers and outside consultants, Neustar said in a cover letter to the application. "The order thus blocks access by the public and by knowledgeable industry personnel to the proposed MSA, precluding effective review and meaningful comment. Such secrecy is unwarranted, unfair, and threatens to delay the planned transition of LNPA responsibilities," the company said. Neustar said it had been excluded from discussions between iconectiv and NAPM on transition issues: "That is a recipe for future delay and a flawed or failed transition. That failure to keep Neustar in the loop makes it all the more important that Neustar's technical and managerial personnel be given the opportunity for meaningful review and comment on the proposed MSA." Public participation is particularly necessary in this case, given the LNPA's role in ensuring numbers can be ported between carriers when customers switch services, and questions about iconectiv's neutrality, Neustar said, saying a draft order is circulating to approve the MSA (see 1604080062). Harris Wiltshire attorney John Nakahata, counsel for Telcordia/iconectiv, emailed Tuesday: “The Protective Order follows well-established FCC processes for protecting confidential information, while still allowing parties to have a meaningful opportunity to participate. The contract contains competitively sensitive information, as well as security sensitive information.” An FCC spokesperson emailed: “We have received the letter and are reviewing.” A NAPM representative had no comment.