Here’s the link to the original post.

So the vote is in and #1 won overwhelmingly.  I hate to say it, but I am not responsible for #1 and I really appreciate the people who said it was great and so I must have done it.  Rick did #1 and it got 90% of the votes.  I did #3 which got one vote as second place.  So now you see how my mind works and if you refer to January 29, What’s so Dang Funny about RespOrg? blog you will see that some don’t think my mind works normally. 

Thank you everyone for your input.  Look for a blog in the next couple of days with a new voting opportunity, this one on the new 855 release.

855 Announcement.pdf

We just got the official FCC order for 855 that we have been anticipating.  The 855 opening will be October 1, 2010.  In order to get the date set there are a number of issues that are still unresolved and will be debated by the SNAC Committee in the next couple of months.  These include:

• Will there be replication?  Replication is what happened when the 888 code opened.  End-user customers were allowed to request the seven digit number that matched their 800 numbers.  This was not done in the 877 or 866 code openings, but there are certain SNAC members that want this option.
• Will there need to be an allocation process in place so that the industry does not run out of numbers between now and October?  At the take rate this week the numbers would last until November 1011, but it swings greatly depending on the week.  There have been weeks when it looked like the numbers wouldn’t last until October 2010.
• Should there be something put in place so the can’t be such a large run on numbers in the first hour that RespOrgs get shut out?  There were problems in the last code opening. 

SNAC continues to work on these issues and will be carefully tracking the number exhaust situation.

It’s time to get ready for ITEXPO in Los Angeles in October.  It may seem a long way off, but these trade shows go from being far off to right now in a strange way.  We will be there as a gold sponsor exhibitor and we have free floor tickets if you are interested.  We are also considering hosting some dinners or lunches or cocktails for specific “interest sessions.”  The idea is that there is never a way for us to see everyone individually, but if we can figure out some topics that a number of you want to discuss, we can have a group meeting and get to more people.  I am looking for input on what these might be, but here are some suggestions.

• Disaster Recovery for the Enterprise business
• The roll-out of the 855 prefix
• I am a RespOrg – tell me why I should just outsource it and forget the hassle
• The future of toll free
• Now that I am a VoIP carrier, what do I need to know about landline services

Let us know if you would like floor tickets or if you would like to attend a group session – or have a suggestion for a group session.  All your ideas and ticket requests should go to Esther.

I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Is there a system that can identify the caller ID by area code and route the call to a specific rep in the office without buying an entire call center software package?  This needs to happen with no IVR recording in between so the call is answered live.

I have explained how a toll free number works about 150,000 times – really, I did the math.  Sometimes the person I am talking with has a glimmer of understanding, sometimes full understanding, and then there are times that they look at me like no one could be more obscure.  Attached are three drawings of how a toll free number works, and believe me, I not telling which one I did.  So I am taking a vote and it is an important vote because it will be the  drawing I use in every training, speech and on our website.  Just for fun, you can vote on which one you think I drew too.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

I find the recent federal appeals court decision involving the FCC and Comcast really fascinating, and maybe more interesting than the intricacies of RespOrg issues to some of you.  In case you haven’t been following this, the FCC had ordered Comcast to limit peer-to-peer traffic in order to control bandwidth sucking applications.  Comcast took the decision to court on the basis that the FCC had no right to dictate how a carrier handled their traffic – and they won.   The court ruled that the FCC has no right to tell ISPs how to manage their networks and overturned the FCC’s 2008 order.

That decision has thrown the FCC, the legislature, and the industry into the next round of debates on net neutrality, but even broader, where does the FCC’s power start and stop.  The court has now told the FCC it can’t enforce net neutrality, but to make matters worse (or better depending on your opinion) Congress is saying that it is time that they review the FCC’s reach.  This really makes the telcos lobbyists smile.  AT&T’s Jim Ciccone commented: “Questions about the FCC’s legal authority should be decided by the Congress itself and not by applying to the Internet a set of onerous rules designed for a different technology, a different situation and a different era.”

What do you think? 

Note: This article is being posted with permission from the author: Sorell Slaymaker. He originally posted it on NoJitter.com

Enterprises that would like to provide carrier diversity of their toll free numbers to increase reliability, disaster recovery, and carrier competition, should investigate becoming their own Responsible Organization (RespOrg).

On Monday, January 4, 2010, a carrier received more toll-free calls than they could handle. About 25 percent of their toll-free traffic was blocked (giving callers a fast busy) for a good part of the business day. Enterprise call center staff sat idle while callers tried to reach them. This is not the first time that, or other carriers’ toll-free networks failed to deliver toll-free calls. Large toll-free outages occur every few years because of disasters, extremely high call volume, or human error (usually connected to software upgrades).

A RespOrg refers to companies that have access to the Service Management System (SMS), the database that controls routing on all toll-free telephone numbers. RespOrgs were established in 1993 as part of the FCC order to institute toll-free number portability. Every ten-digit toll-free telephone number is managed by a RespOrg. A RespOrg can be a telephone company, a very large enterprise, or an independent service provider that offers RespOrg services on behalf of an enterprise, such as atlc.com.

An example of RespOrg call flow (see corresponding diagram):

1) Customer dials a toll-free number.

2) Call goes to the customer’s phone provider–Local Exchange Carrier (LEC), IP service provider, or Mobile Service Provider.

3) The phone provider uses a Service Control Point (SCP), which is part of the SS7 signaling network, to identify which carrier to pass the call along using the Circuit Identification Code (CIC). Which carrier to send the call to can be based on percent allocation, least cost routing, or other rules.

4) The SMS database is used to update the all the SCPs that are distributed across the country

5) The SMS database is configured by an authorized RespOrg. Changes can be made in near real time and then it can take around 15 minutes for the changes to propagate to all the SCPs.

6) The call is passed to the IntereXchange Carrier (IXC) determined by the CIC.

7) The call then goes into the enterprise. In this example, the enterprise has all call center technology within the data centers. This model works with both traditional TDM/PRI and IP/SIP trunking.

The last step is the call is passed to the appropriate agent and the customer and agent begin a conversation.

Additionally, it is advantageous to use multiple carriers to deliver toll-free calls. Most enterprises use multiple ISPs for Internet connectivity to increase reliability, disaster recovery, and control costs; the same model should apply for toll-free voice traffic. Toll Free providers do not actively promote the use of RespOrg, because they stand to lose some of their traffic and it also drives down their margins. Being or using a RespOrg service provider is less risky and more convenient than porting toll-free numbers from one carrier to another.

When implementing toll-free SIP Trunking, an enterprise should use multiple SIP trunking providers and become their own RespOrg. This is SIP Trunking best practice #11. (For those of you interested in SIP Trunking best practices #1-10, these were presented at VoiceCon in Orlando in the “Implementing SIP Trunking” session, and are shown below:

One of my fears, which is shared by the SNAC committee and DSMI, is that there will be a run on toll free numbers while awaiting the FCC decision on  allocation plans.  Please keep in mind that hoarding of numbers is still not allowed by the FCC, and although they haven’t done anything about it, it is in this type of environment that they would be most likely to take action.  You must have an end user who is waiting for the number when you reserve the number.  ATL may be contacting you if your “take rate” seems out of the ordinary and ask you for the customer and the application information.  If there is an issue the FCC will be looking at ATL for answers and we need to be prepared.  ATL has never supported hoarding and is especially concerned that we operate as a “good citizen” in the toll free industry. 

If you have any questions it would be great if you could post them here.  I would guess others have the same questions.

The FCC received a letter from DSMI (the business part of the national database operation) that toll free numbers are being used up faster than was expected and the 855 code needs to be released as soon as possible.  The letter stated that SMS would be ready October of this year and that DSMI does “ not see any value in allowing the Industry additional time to prepare their own systems and networks.”  In other words, they want the FCC’s support to get everyone to get ready.  Details are still being worked out on how the release will handled and I will continue to give you updates as decisions are made. 

If you have any questions it would be great if you could post them here.  I would guess others have the same questions.

Current toll free numbers are being used up so fast that there may be a need to go to an allocation option before the 855 code is released. The FCC is currently reviewing some suggestions of the SMS staff on how allocation would be done.  The last time allocation was needed was while waiting for the 888 code in 1996.
 
My best guess is the allocation will be done as it was last time; numbers were allocated on a monthly basis as a percentage of the numbers under each RespOrg entity, so our AU code will be allocated numbers based on our total quantity of numbers.  That is good for our clients because ATL is always within the top ten largest RespOrgs of the 350 RespOrgs, but then we will need to ensure that our clients have a fair chance from within our allotment.