The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken the next step in the implementation of the reassigned numbers database that it approved in December of 2018. The database is to address the “problem of unwanted calls to consumers with numbers reassigned from a previous consumer.” The database is intended to “enable a caller to determine whether a telephone number has been reassigned and thus avoid calling consumers with reassigned numbers who may not wish to receive their call.”

To establish the database, the agency directed the North American Numbering Council (NANC), the FCC’s advisory committee on numbering issues, to develop a Technical Requirements Document (TRD) for Commission review. The NANC submitted its 59-page TRD to the FCC on January 13. The report addresses a lengthy list of issues related to the database, including, for example, reporting, audits, performance monitoring and data retention.

The Commission now seeks public comment on the TRD, noting that “it expects the NANC’s guidance and any relevant comments to be incorporated into contracting decisions related to the Database.”

Initial comments are due by February 24, with replies due by March 9.