About NANC
The North American Numbering Council (NANC) is a Federal Advisory Committee. The NANC advises the Federal Communications Commission and makes recommendations, reached through consensus, that foster efficient and impartial number administration. The NANC is composed of representatives of telecommunications carriers, regulators, cable providers, VoIP providers, industry associations, vendors and consumer advocates. Working groups and task forces made up of industry experts have been established by the NANC to assist it in its efforts. The initial NANC charter was filed with Congress on October 5, 1995, and the NANC held its first meeting on October 1, 1996.
The NANC is chaired by Commissioner Karen Charles Peterson, Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. In addition, the following work groups assist the NANC in carrying out its work.
- Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group
- Call Authentication Trust Anchor (CATA) Working Group
The Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group is a permanent, standing working group. The remaining working groups are issue-specific and will therefore lapse at the conclusion of their assigned work. Additional issue-specific working groups may be formed as needs dictate. In addition to participation by NANC members on the Working Groups, the Commission also welcomes participation by parties that are not NANC members but have an interest in specific issues in a working group.
The Commission's designations of entities to serve as the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), Pooling Administrator (PA), and Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) were based on the NANC's recommendations. Since its inception, the NANC has provided recommendations to the Commission which have addressed a myriad of issues, including wireline/wireless integration for local number portability, abbreviated dialing arrangements, the neutrality of toll free database administration, and the feasibility of local number portability for 500/900 numbers.