Why do people use experts – because  knowledge makes their businesses better.  Recently an ATL client called me to ask if the FCC had a rule saying a number can’t be NASC’d if it was rejected for Unsatisfactory Business Relationship, in other words non-pay.  The end-user had lost their service because their reseller hadn’t paid their bill.  The phone provider told them that they couldn’t help them because the FCC rule was they couldn’t NASC the numbers that had been rejected for non-pay.  There is no such FCC rule, and I know that.  I explained that to my client, and she was able to help her customer.  It’s great to know that I am the expert.  That’s what it means to work for ATL.

Is the business to business connection entering its LAST DAYS?

I have been trying to figure out for many years now, how I can provide my customers a way to communicate with each other to connect sellers and buyers.  It’s slowly working…we think?!

Our past efforts in connecting businesses and services with ATL’s referral “Marketplace” forum didn’t take off like we expected.  However we have been successful in matching up several businesses with our new blogs including the Baltimore area CLEC and the NY shared fiber. Yes, the “Marketplace” forum is DEAD but we have an idea on how to revive the buyers to sellers connection network through our interactive website!

 If you want to let others know you have a service to offer or you need something to buy, you can post it on ATL’s blog.  Since ATL never recommends carriers and never takes money from someone for referrals, this is the most I can do, but I hope it works. ATL is truly here to help make successful connections as we have since 1993!

Are telephony people lazy?  Are they really too busy, or are they spies?  Telephony is a business of acronyms which hide real meanings.  One commonly used acronym is CIC.  This stands forCarrier Identification Code, but is used to mean which switches a toll free number is routed to.  

Another is NASC.  It means North American Service Center, but it REALLY means taking a number away from a resp org if they refuse to release it after a legitimate request.  It also stand for North American Spondylitis Consortium and 45 other definitions, but hey, we in telephony know what it means.

Finally, there is NANPA.  North American Numbering Plan Administration.  That stands for the good guys in white hats who got us all in this mess.

TTYL,

Esther

ATL has a client that is looking for a vendor for DIDs.  They need about 2000 to start then will ramp up from there. He wants to get them ”on the fly” and pay usage. Is there someone who can help him?  Please answer through the comment on the blog.  If you would rather not put you contact information, after you place the blog contact ATL with that.

ATL’s President, Aelea Christofferson, is going to be doing a lot of travelling for the next couple of months and would like to meet with you.  We will be contacting our customers and prospects to let them know she will be in the area, but she is also interested in ,meeting with carriers (wireline or not) who are interested in understanding why they should consider using an independent RespOrg.  Also as the “RespOrgs, RespOrg,” she would be glad to meet with other RespOrgs who want to consider outsourcing this personnel heavy job.

February 24-25                  San Diego            SMS Planning meeting

March 1-3                            Las Vegas            Channel Partners

March 8                                Portland, OR      Healthcare Reform Meeting

March 14-17                       Nashville             Comptel

April 19-23                          Orlando               AMOC

ATL has been a RespOrg since 1993 and works with every carrier.  After fifteen years of experience, carriers know they can rely on ATL to properly set-up their records and never risk our reputation of integrity by recommending carriers, taking money from carriers, or changing records for our own use.

Why then, would XO Communications suddenly decide to change their policy to prevent their customers and prospects from using ATL?  Here are the reasons in their words, and my responses to them:

• XO nor GC have the control or knowledge of what traffic is being sent to us.

This is not true.  A toll free number doesn’t work unless the carrier puts the terminating number into their switch, so calls can’t complete unless the carrier knows about it.  I wonder how Global Crossing feels about being included in XO’s statement.  ATL is RespOrg for tens of thousands of GC numbers and has had a great relationship with the company back to when it was Allnet.

• ATL is not a customer of XO; XO will have no recourse to pursue any compensation from traffic sent to XO under the ATL RESPORG ID

ATL is not a customer of any of the carriers.  That’s the point of being an independent RespOrg.  The carrier’s contract is with their customer.  If they want recourse they simply add that to the form they already use for 3^rd party RespOrgs.  Then, if their customer chooses to reroute traffic in a way that affects XOs cost, the customer pays the difference plus a premium. 

• Because ATL is not a customer of XO’s, XO would need to work with “Customer” (I consider the customer involved in this propriety)  to remove ATL unwanted traffic, technical issues or disputes regarding billing; resolution MTTR would be jeopardized

I don’t know what MTTR is, but she is absolutely right, she would have to work with her customer and apparently she still doesn’t understand what an independent RespOrg is because there is no ATL traffic.

• “Customer” being XO’s customers would need to be assigned as having authority for ATL RESPORG ID in order to avoid slamming issues or disputes

Since XO would not be doing the porting I don’t know where she was going with this.

I tell my customers that since RespOrg is just a cost, there is only one reason why a carrier would not want their customer to use an independent – they are not confident enough about their service and rates to allow the customer easy control.  Since, by FCC rule, the choice of RespOrg belongs to the end user, this is really just a refusal to carry the traffic for their customer.

Do you have a comment?

How many times have you hesitated to ask a simple question out of fear of sounding like the Village Idiot?

Well, friends and neighbors, I’m here to tell you there are stupid questions, but there are no stupid questions about telephony. I know, I’ve asked them all.

Fortunately, I enjoy being able to ask one of the leading experts in the biz; she happens to be my boss, and she likes answering questions, even from me!

Now, for a limited time, I’m going to share her with you. You may ask my boss & friend, Aelea Christofferson, anything you want to know about telephony…anything! Go ahead, try to stump her!

Just don’t ask her if she’s busy. That’s a stupid question.