The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has granted a Petition of Verizon and temporarily waives the maximum 180-day period for maintaining wireless telephone numbers in reserved status to assist businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, Verizon requested a limited waiver of the maximum 180-day period for maintaining wireless telephone numbers in reserved status for business customers due to COVID-19. Under FCC rule section 52.15(f)(1)(vi), reserved numbers are those numbers that are held by service providers at the request of customers for their future use, but do not include numbers held for more than 180 days. Verizon explained that due to COVID-19, many business customers with numbers approaching the 180-day limit that would ordinarily re-activate their reserved numbers may have little reason to do so if the business cannot open for months. The Bureau agreed, finding a temporary, limited waiver in the public interest to ensure that business customers are able to retain the numbers they depend on, even though there may not be a need to use those numbers for a significant period of time because of COVID19, which has severely restricted when and where companies are able to do business. Thus, the Bureau temporary waives the maximum 180-day reserve period for future use and extends it to 360-days for all wireless numbers maintained by service providers in reserved status between April 22, 2020 and September 30, 2020.
