In the two weeks since wireless carriers in the top 100 MSAs implemented the FCC’s local number portability rules, thereby enabling consumers to switch carriers and “port” their telephone number to the new carrier, the Commission has received approximately 600 informal consumer complaints as of 4 PM, Monday, December 8.
The majority of these complaints allege delay in moving a number from one wireless carrier to another. There are similar complaints, although fewer in number, alleging delay in moving from a wireline carrier to a wireless carrier. The second biggest category alleges refusal or failure by carriers to “port” a number after receiving a consumer request.
The six carriers most frequently mentioned in the complaints are: AT&T Wireless (332 complaints); Verizon Wireless (129); Cingular Wireless (98); Sprint PCS (94); Nextel Communications, Inc. (46) and T-Mobile USA, Inc. (44). The Commission receives many complaints that do not involve violations of a Commission rule or order. Therefore, the receipt of these complaints does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing by any of the companies involved. Further analysis is required to determine what, if any, violations occurred. In addition, these statistics do not reflect the number of complaints against a particular carrier relative to the number of porting requests made to the carrier.
On December 4, noting the pattern of complaints and various press reports, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau sent a letter to AT&T Wireless asking for information about the nature of the problems the company appeared to be facing with the porting process and what the company was doing to remedy the situation. AT&T Wireless has until December 10 to respond.
In releasing these latest complaint numbers, K. Dane Snowden, the chief of the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, said. “Since implementation of wireless local number portability on November 24, many consumers have changed companies and kept their numbers. Number porting is a complex procedure and, as with any new system, we expected a few bumps along the way in the beginning. We will continue to work with the companies to overcome any initial glitches to ensure that consumers who wish to take advantage of this very popular option can do so easily and quickly.”
