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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J  .  MARTIN 
 Re:  Telephone  Number  Portability,  CTIA  Petitions  for  Declaratory  Ruling  on  Wireline-  Wireless  Porting  Issues,  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  and  Further 
 Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  CC  Docket  No.  95-  116 
 I  am  pleased  to  support  this  item  because  it  provides  important  consumer  benefits  by  promoting  competition  in  the  wireline  telephone  market.  One  of  the  primary  reasons  I 
 supported  wireless  local  number  portability  is  the  additional  competition  it  is  likely  to  encourage  in  the  wireline  market.  See  Press  Statement  of  Commissioner  Kevin  J.  Martin 
 on  the  Commission’s  Decision  on  Verizon’s  Petition  for  Permanent  Forbearance  from  Wireless  Local  Number  Portability  Rules  (July  16,  2002).  As  I  stated  last  year,  the 
 ability  to  transfer  a  wireline  phone  number  to  a  wireless  phone  is  an  important  part  of  ensuring  that  competition  with  wireline  phones  continues  to  grow.  I  am  glad  that  today 
 the  full  Commission  agrees. 
 I  am  disappointed,  however,  that  the  Commission  was  not  able  to  provide  this  guidance  until  weeks  before  the  LNP  requirement  is  scheduled  to  take  effect.  The 
 Commission  has  an  obligation  to  minimize  the  burdens  our  regulations  place  on  carriers,  and  I  wish  we  had  provided  the  guidance  in  this  Order  considerably  sooner. 


 Finally,  I  recognize  that  LNP  –  although  very  important  for  consumers  –  places  real  burdens  on  the  carriers,  particularly  the  small  and  rural  carriers.  Accordingly,  I 
 support  the  decision  to  waive  our  full  porting  requirements  until  May  24,  2004,  for  wireline  carriers  operating  in  areas  outside  of  the  largest  100  MSAs.  I  am  also  pleased 
 that  we  emphasize  that  those  wireline  carriers  may  file  waiver  requests  if  they  need  additional  time. 
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