NANC Demise Could Complicate Number Exhaustion Issue
The shuttering of the North American Numbering Council (see 2506240074) could make it harder for the FCC and industry to deal with the problem of telephone number exhaustion and other issues overseen by the group for the last 30 years, former NANC officials told us. The NANC’s charter expires in September, and its last meeting was Tuesday. Members learned of the decision to end the long-standing advisory committee about two weeks ago, said 15-year NANC veteran Richard Shockey, board chairman of the SIP Forum.
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“We wanted to let you know that the Chairman has made the decision not to renew the charter at this time,” said Wireline Bureau Chief Joseph Calascione in a letter to council members. “With the NANC’s mission largely complete, we will be working to transition the NANC’s oversight responsibilities to Commission staff in coming months.”
Former members said the committee led to dialogue between regulators and industry that will be hard to replicate through the ex parte process. Through its reports and oversight, the NANC encouraged transparency, Shockey said. Number exhaustion, one of the NANC’s core concerns, is a pressing issue, he said, adding that every IoT device, traffic camera and automobile sold in the U.S. has its own digital SIM card and thus a phone number. “There’s probably 250 million numbers being used for IoT applications, and they are everywhere.”