BEFORE THE WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION


In the Matter of the Investigation Into 


TELEPHONE NUMBER 
CONSERVATION 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 	) ) ) ) ) )	DOCKET 
NO. UT-991627
		
		
		ORDER OPENING 
		INVESTIGATION
		


  The Washington Exchange Carrier Association (WECA)  is an association of 
incumbent local exchange companies (ILECs) that operate under Commission 
regulation.    WECA, after dialogue involving non-member local exchange and 
wireless companies, has produced a report in its WECA Docket 99-01 recommending 
that the Commission open an investigation into the issue of conserving 
numbering resources, beginning with proposals for rate center consolidation.  
Rate centers are geographic points used by the telecommunications industry to 
route and rate telephone calls.  Typically each telephone exchange has a rate 
center. 

  The purpose of number conservation is to reduce the waste of telephone number 
prefixes.  Telephone companies typically assign one prefix, which has 10,000 
numbers, to each rate center.  With multiple companies assigning prefixes to 
multiple rate centers, hundreds of thousands of numbers can be wasted serving 
rate centers having fewer than 10,000 lines. 

  WECA’s Report includes an initial proposal that addresses 25 rate centers 
served by U S WEST Communications and GTE Northwest.  Under the proposal, those 
25 rate centers would be consolidated into six.  The basis for selecting  these 
areas are identity of calling scope and identity of local exchange rates.  
Further consolidations may be possible in other areas of the state, 
particularly if conditions relating to identical callingscope and identical 
localexchange rates are relaxed.

  The WECA report identifies only one present concern, possible effects on 
9-1-1 emergency response systems.  Inquiries have been sent to officials 
responsible for E*9-1-1 service, and no changes would be made in numbering 
until certainty exists that possible problems have been identified and 
resolved.   The WECA report recommends that 9-1-1 issues be an initial topic of 
investigation for the Commission’s number conservation docket and that a 
meeting on the subject be convened for December 13.  Staff supports this 
recommendation.

  The Commission may in the near future decide to obtain delegated authority on 
number conservation from the Federal Communications Commission.  If it does so, 
the WECA docket could be used to pursue those additional conservation tools, 
including pooling of thousand-number blocks, utilization reporting, and 
enforcement of standards. 


DOCKET NO.  UT-991627 PAGE 2


  While WECA itself does not include competitive local exchange companies or 
wireless companies, those entities have participated in those discussions to 
date, and this docket would be open to all members of the industry.

  It is becoming increasingly apparent that the telephone industry’s 
traditional methods for administering telephone numbers have problems that must 
be addressed.  Rate center consolidation is a useful step in that effort, 
though potential problems must be explored and further steps will be necessary. 

ORDER

  The Commission initiates an investigation into number conservation.  As an 
initial step, the Commission directs the WECA to continue its investigation of 
potential barriers to number consolidation, including implications for 
providing E*9-1-1 services. The Commission accepts the WECA report as an 
initial source of information in the investigation.  The Commission directs US 
West, GTE Northwest and other involved industry members to pursue the 
cooperative development of information about potential problems involving 
number conservation and solutions to those problems, to invite the 
participation of all affected members of the telecommunications industry and 
any other interested persons, and to make recommendations for Commission action.

  DATED at Olympia, Washington, and effective this            day of 
November, 1999.

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION



      MARILYN SHOWALTER, Chairwoman



      RICHARD HEMSTAD, Commissioner



      WILLIAM R.  GILLIS, Commissioner