Federal Communications Commission	DA 23-187


DA 23-187
Released:  March 7, 2023

FCC ANNOUNCES PLANS TO RECHARTER THE NORTH AMERICAN NUMBERING COUNCIL AND SOLICITS NOMINATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

WC Docket No. 23-1

By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission), consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2.
 announces that it plans to recharter the North American Numbering Council (NANC or Council) for a period of two (2) years following consultation with the General Services Administration’s Federal Advisory Committee Secretariat.  By this Public Notice, the Commission seeks nominations for membership on the Council.  
Interested parties must submit nominations for NANC membership to the Commission no later than March 31, 2023.  Procedures for submitting nominations are set forth below.
PURPOSE AND FUNCTION
The NANC’s mission is to provide recommendations on numbering policy and technical issues to the Commission and to foster the efficient and impartial administration of the North American Numbering Plan in order to ensure the efficient, impartial assignment and use of vital numbering resources in the evolving world of communications. 
In its next term, the NANC will continue this important work, providing critical guidance on numbering matters of importance both to consumers and industry, with a focus on examining numbering in the evolving world of communications.  Membership on the NANC will afford stakeholders interested in number administration a unique opportunity to help transform our existing numbering systems to meet the needs of tomorrow’s telecommunications providers and consumers.
BACKGROUND
The NANC will be organized under, and will operate in accordance with, the provisions of the FACA.  As authorized by the FACA, the Council is authorized to facilitate its work through informal subcommittees, or other subgroups of the Council, which will report their activities and recommendations to the Council as a whole.
Members will serve at the discretion of the Chairwoman of the Commission.  Members are required to participate in deliberations of at least one subcommittee or other subgroup, if any are established.  The Commission may ask the Council to create written recommendations or reports to the Commission.  The time commitment for participation in any subcommittee or other subgroup may be substantial as such groups may be asked to submit recommendations or reports to the full Council for its consideration.  However, subcommittee or other subgroup meetings may be conducted informally, using suitable technology to facilitate the meetings, subject to oversight by the Designated Federal Officer of the NANC.  The Commission will determine the appropriate Committee size necessary to effectively accomplish the Committee’s work.
Meetings of the full Council will be open to the public, and timely notice of each meeting will be published in the Federal Register and further publicized through other appropriate vehicles.  All such meetings will be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities.
WHO MAY APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS
The Commission seeks applications for membership from every sector of the telecommunications industry, as well as members representing regulators, standards bodies, and consumers.  Individuals may also apply for membership in their individual capacities.  The Commission is particularly interested in members with expertise and interest in numbering policies, including expertise in network operations and network engineering, representing the following:
· Wireline and wireless telecommunications service providers of all sizes, including small and mid-size providers; 
· Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol and other IP-enabled service providers;
· Cable service providers;
· Independent network builders and networking equipment installers;
· Other entities involved in deploying broadband;
· Industry trade and standards associations;
· State, local, and Tribal government regulators and telecommunications officials;
· Consumer and community organizations;
· Telecommunications equipment manufacturers; and
· Other stakeholders and interested parties with relevant experience.
The Commission will select members to balance the expertise and viewpoints that are necessary to effectively address the issues to be considered by the Council.  Members will be appointed either as representatives of their organizations, or in their individual capacities as Special Government Employees (SGEs), and the application requirements for each of those categories are described below.  All organizational and individual members appointed to the Council or its working groups are subject to an ethics review by the Commission’s Office of General Counsel.  
	Applicants possessing expertise or perspectives of interest to the Council who have requested to serve in an individual capacity as an SGE shall be eligible only if they are not federally registered lobbyists.  SGEs are subject to a variety of restrictions under the conflict of interest statutes, 18 U.S.C. § 203 et seq., and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, 5 CFR Part 2635.  SGEs must file confidential employee financial disclosure reports prior to beginning their service and annually thereafter.  SGEs will also be subject to ethics restrictions in section 4(b) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. § 154(b), and in the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR Part 19 and 5 CFR Parts 3901 and 3902.  
	All members will have an initial and continuing obligation to disclose any interests in, or connections to, persons or entities that are, or will be, regulated by or have interests before the Commission and shall promptly report to the DFO any changes in representation during their tenure on the federal advisory committee.  Committee members will not be compensated for their service.  
	In the case of organizational applicants, we encourage such applicants to submit nominations not only for their primary representatives, but for alternate representatives as well.  The availability of alternate representatives to attend meetings and vote will facilitate the work of the Council in the event that the primary representative is unavailable. 
APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL APPLICANTS
All nominations should be submitted to the Commission as soon as possible, but no later than March 31, 2023.  All nominations, including the requisite information listed below, should be submitted by e-mail to Christi Shewman, Designated Federal Officer for the North American Numbering Council, at christi.shewman@fcc.gov.
No specific nomination form is required; however, each nomination for a primary representative and/or an alternate must include the following information:
· The name, title, and organization of the nominee; 
· The nominee’s mailing address, email address, and telephone number;
· A description of the organization’s business, including the telecommunications sector or other interests that are relevant to the Council’s business, and a statement of the benefit of having the organization represented on the council; 
· A statement summarizing the nominee’s qualifications and reasons why the nominee should be appointed to the Council, including a narrative detailing the nominee’s involvement in issues relevant to the Council; 
· A current resume of the nominee;
· A statement by the organization indicating a willingness to have its representative serve on the Council for a two-year term, attend at least two Council meetings, and participate in at least one working group; and
· An acknowledgement that neither the organization nor its representative will receive reimbursement of travel expenses or honoraria from the Council.
An organizational applicant nominating a representative to serve on its behalf on the Council must submit a written confirmation by an authorized person (e.g., an official of the organizational applicant) that such organization wants the nominee to serve on its behalf on the Council.  The nominating official must possess the executive authority or hold a sufficiently high-level position with the organization to select a representative whose actions will be legally binding on the organizational applicant.  For example, this confirmation may be in the following format: “I am [insert official’s name], the [insert official’s title] at the [insert name of organization, e.g., company, government entity, trade association, etc.], with responsibilities for [concise description of position].  My organization would like [insert proposed member’s name], who is currently [an employee of/consultant/attorney to the company] to serve as our representative on the Commission’s North American Numbering Council.”
	For nominees seeking to represent an entity that is a party to an FCC contract or subcontract or providing services for the benefit of the FCC under contract or subcontract, or in the case of any applicant or nominee who is individually a party to such a contract or providing services for the benefit of the FCC under such a contract, the nomination must include the following: 
· A general description of the contract/agreement; 
· A description of the product/services that the applicant provides pursuant to the contract/agreement; 
· A list of all parties to the contract/agreement; 
· The name of the Commission contracting officer (if known); and 
· A certification made by the applicant or nominee that the applicant or nominee has provided written notice to the contracting officer and the FCC Manager, Contracts and Purchasing Center, that the applicant or representative nominee, as applicable, has applied for membership on the Commission’s North American Numbering Council.
In addition, organizational nominees are required to disclose whether they represent clients before the FCC or represent clients in matters that may come before the Council, other than representing the organizational applicant that has nominated the proposed representative for service on the Council.  Each nominee shall provide with the application all details of any such representation.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO SERVE AS SGE MEMBERS
Nominations should be submitted to the Commission as soon as possible, but no later than March 31, 2023.  All nominations, including the requisite statements listed below, should be submitted by e-mail to Christi Shewman, Designated Federal Officer for the North American Numbering Council, at christi.shewman@fcc.gov.
Individuals seeking to serve as Special Government Employee members of the Council should include the following application information:
· Name and title of the applicant; 
· Current mailing address, email address, and telephone number;
· A statement summarizing the applicant’s qualifications and reasons why the applicant should be appointed to the Council.  That statement shall include the individual’s specific knowledge or expertise that is relevant to the work of the Council, including a statement that the applicant is not a registered lobbyist (as noted above, financial and other additional disclosures may also be required);
· A statement that the applicant does not have a contractual or other financial agreement (including as a subcontractor) with the Commission;
· A statement indicating a willingness to serve on the Council for a two-year term, a commitment to attend at least two meetings per year, and a commitment to participate in at least one working group; 
· An acknowledgement that the individual will not be entitled to receive reimbursement of travel expenses or payment of honoraria or other compensation from the Commission;
· A current resume; and
· A statement that the applicant does not have clients with matters before the FCC or with matters which may come before the Committee.
Please note this Public Notice is not intended to be the exclusive method by which the Commission will solicit nominations to identify qualified candidates; however, all candidates for membership on the Council will be subject to the same evaluation criteria.
ACCESSIBLE FORMATS
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice) or 202-418-0432 (TTY). 
For additional information, please contact Christi Shewman, Designated Federal Officer for the North American Numbering Council, at christi.shewman@fcc.gov or 202-418-0646. 

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