Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

FCC SELECTS SOMOS AS NORTH AMERICAN NUMBERING PLAN ADMINISTRATOR & POOLING ADMINISTRATOR UNDER ONE-YEAR BRIDGE CONTRACTS 

WASHINGTON, October 16, 2018—The Federal Communications Commission has selected Somos as the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) and the Pooling Administrator (PA) under separate one-year bridge contracts.  The NANPA administers the North American Numbering Plan on behalf of its member countries, providing numbering administration functions for telecommunications services.  The PA administers number pooling functions in the United States and serves as the Routing Number Administrator responsible for administering non-dialable numbers used for routing emergency calls and other purposes.  Somos will transition NANPA and PA operations from the present NANPA and PA, both at present Neustar.    

Somos currently serves as the Commission’s toll-free number administrator, responsible for overseeing the toll-free number database.  Under the contracts awarded by the Commission, Somos will undertake the NANPA and PA functions under separate one-year interim bridge contracts while the Commission works to consolidate the NANPA and PA functions into a single entity under a new long-term contract via a competitive bidding process.  The consolidation of the two contracts will bring about a more cost-efficient and effective operation by a single entity. 

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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).