11 FCC Red No. 7 Federal Communications Commission Record DA 96·112 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 PUBLIC NOTICE Released: February 1, 1996 COMMISSION SEEKS COMMENT ON SPRINT PETITION FOR EXTENSION OF STAY AND WAIVER OF COMMISSION RULES AND POLICIES REGARDING CALLING NUMBER IDENTIFICATION SERVICE • CALLER ID Comments Due: February 12, 1996 Replies Due: February 19, 1996 In an Order on Reconsideration adopted May 5, 1995, the Commission concluded that common carriers, using Signaling System 7 and offering or subscribing to any service based on Signaling System 7 call set up functionality, are required to transmit the calling party number (CPN) associated with an interstate call to inter­ connecting carriers. This rule became effective on Decem­ ber 1, 1995. On October 24, 1995, Sprint Communications Company ("Sprint") filed a petition requesting a waiver of Sections 64.1601(a), 64.1603 and 64.1604 of the Commis­ sion's rules until March 31, 1996. In their waiver, Sprint stated that a waiver was needed to modify CPN delivery software because in certain instances its switches would pass Automatic Number Identification (ANI) or charge number information in place of CPN. ·Subsequently, sev­ eral other interexchange carriers identified similar prob­ lems in their networks and requested waivers. On November 30, 1995, the Commission provided the relief sought by Sprint and other interexchange carriers by order­ ing that Sections 64.1601(a) and 64.1603 of the Commis­ sion's rules were stayed until March 31, 1996 as applied to Digital Switch Corporation (DSC) and Northern Telecom, Inc. switches used by interexchange carriers that populate the CPN parameter with ANI or charge number informa­ tion. On January 16, 1996, Sprint filed a petition for exten­ sion of this stay through April 30, 1996. It also requests a waiver of Commission rules prohibiting the population of the CPN parameter with ANI or charge number informa­ tion through July 31, 1996 for calls completed through the assistance of a "live" operator. Sprint states that its vendor has indicated that with one exception, the "live operator" case, it expects to deliver the software modifications cor­ recting Sprint's CPN delivery problems to Sprint by March 15, 1996. Sprint contends that following this date it needs six weeks to properly install the software and therefore requests extension of the stay, or if the Commission pre­ fers, a waiver of the rules through April 30, 1996. The "live" operator exception concerns calls passed to Sprint operator centers over ISDN primary rate interface trunks in which ANI or charge number is passed to the local exchange carriers as CPN without a privacy indicator. Sprint states that this interface arrangement complicates software modifications, and these modifications will not be delivered until the middle of July. Sprint contends that it is faced with two choices: (1) delay the delivery of CPN on 3641 all calls to the LECs until the live operator problem can be fixed; or (2) commence delivery of CPN as soon as the mid-March 1996 software modifications can be tested and installed, in which case ANI or charge number will be delivered, with no opportunity to invoke privacy, on calls passing through live operators. Sprint estimates that under the second choice caller's privacy would be violated in five out of a million calls. Sprint seeks to pursue the second choice, and proposes that it be allowed to commence CPN delivery by April 30, 1996 but that it be granted a waiver of the prohibition of populating CPN with ANI or charge number information and no privacy indicator, for calls traversing live operators, until July 31, 1996. Sprint in­ dicates that it believes this solution best balances the var­ ious equities involved. It notes, however, that if the Commission disagrees, then it alternatively requests a waiv­ er of the CPN delivery rules through July 31, 1996 in which case it would pursue the first choice. . We invite comment on this Petition. Comments should be filed on or before February 12, 1996, and Reply Com­ ments should be filed on or before February 19, 1996. All comments should be filed with the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications · Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Room 222, Washington, D.C. 20554, referencing CC Docket No. 91-281. The full text of the Petition is available for inspection and duplication during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communica­ tions Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Room 239, Wash­ ington, D.C. 20554. Copies may also be obtained from International Transcription Service by calling (202) 857-3800. For further information, contact Michael Specht, (202) 418-2378, or Elizabeth Nightingale, (202)-418-2352, both of the Common Carrier Bureau, Network Services Division. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION