STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS Re: In the Matter of IP-Enabled Services, WC Docket No. 04-36; Telephone Number Portability, CC Docket No. 95-116; CTIA Petitions for Declaratory Ruling on Wireline-Wireless Porting Issues, Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, Numbering Resource Optimization, CC Docket No. 99-200; Telephone Number Requirements for IP-Enabled Services Providers, WC Docket No. 07-243; Local Number Portability Porting Interval and Validation Requirements, WC Docket No. 07-244, Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, Order on Remand, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking In the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Congress imposed a number portability obligation on providers so consumers could retain their phone numbers when switching carriers. This was both consumer-friendly and competition-friendly. Local number portability is a real success story. Today’s item works to ensure that consumers continue to benefit from local number portability when it comes to interconnected VoIP services. I am pleased to support it. Today’s Order also streamlines the port validation process by requiring providers to validate a consumer’s porting request based upon no more than four specified criteria. By providing clarity to carriers in this regard, consumers will benefit from more timely and efficient processing of their requests. I want to thank Chairman Martin and my colleagues for supporting my proposal to address this issue here rather than making consumers wait any longer for its resolution. I also support the few remaining questions the Commission poses regarding the obligations of interconnected VoIP providers and the timing interval expected for intermodal porting requests. I am pleased that the Order includes my suggestion that when determining the appropriate porting interval we should take into account the evolving nature of technologies and business practices with the goal of reducing porting times to the shortest reasonable time-period. I am optimistic that we will be able to complete this proceeding rapidly if all interested parties work together. A lesson to be learned from the success of local number portability is that the Commission should be seeking out additional ways to break down barriers that impede consumers from taking advantage of competition, such as wireless and broadband early termination fees and the locking of phone features. The more we do on such initiatives, the better it will be for consumers and competition. That’s a win-win in my book.