Cellular carriers have extracted yet another delay from the FCC in their providing number portability — the ability to change carriers (e.g., move from Verizon to AT&T Wireless) without losing your cell phone number.
Cell phone owners, of course, would love this capability. Anyone who’s changed carriers (or who has a friend or relative who has) knows what a hassle it is.
Nonetheless, the carriers try desperately to put a “competitive” spin on their foot-dragging.
Verizon Wireless and the chief lobbyist for the wireless industry, the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), registered their “disappointment” that the FCC hadn’t eliminated the number portability requirement.
“Today’s number-portability decision is a step in the right direction, but the real destination is lifting the burden from consumers altogether, not just delaying it,” said CTIA Chief Executive Tom Wheeler. “Number portability is another example of a government mandate that adds to the consumer’s bill and siphons away the cost reductions that have resulted from competition.”
The industry claims it will cost a billion dollars to implement number portability. Any bets that if it gets mandated they’ll do it for a a fraction of that?
The FCC’s desire to do this, of course, has nothing to do with making life better for consumers. Instead, they’re terrified that we’re running out of phone numbers. Since carriers reserve massive blocks of numbers, and take months to years to cycle them back into operation, number portability would reduce the need for the dwindling supply of ten-digit numbers.
Verizon Wireless’ Nelson said Tuesday that the FCC has chosen to “intervene in the marketplace,” rather than let competitive forces work out problems.
Which, of course, is the problem, because there is no competitive incentive for a cellular carrier to give up a phone number. None whatsoever. Their customer is leaving — what do they care?
The reason for the delay was last-minute FUD-factoring by the carriers that portability would somehow break the 911 system. The year’s delay — the third after the first delay in 1998 — is to allow 911 systems to confirm that it won’t be a problem.
The fact is, competition would actually increase if number portability were available. People would be more willing to change carriers based solely on service and cost, without the inconvenience of having to send out change-of-number notices.
But, the carriers point out, look at all the people already who change carriers.
Uh … yeah. That’s a real great sign that we should listen to the carriers about what people want.
Jerks.
UPDATE: More lies, damned lies, and meaningless statistics from the carriers are mentioned here.