| It's not as easy as it looks... Porting between wireless carriers and wireline providers within 48 hours can only be accomplished if the ILECs and smaller providers (meaning Embarq and smaller) willingly agree to provide automated interfaces to their systems (no hands, or better yet, eyes, required). This already exists with the larger Bell companies. The smaller carriers should not be allowed an exemption (which in the case of CLECs is a net win anyway as they have a lot of people monitoring orders), but instead be mandatory with an option that is cost based (maybe through an LNP provider like Neustar). This, plus the recent Verizon ruling about porting prior to the competitor has an opportunity to complete the installation process, gets closer. The "freezing" of local numbers (originally done in the name of preventing Long Distance "slamming" but now put in place simply to make the local number porting process more cumbersome) is the other issue the Congress should look at - it's the next roadblock the incumbents will put up to prevent competition. |
