Companies who need to access the national number portability database include marketing research companies.
As the Insights Association requested in October 2017, iconectiv, the database administrator, updated the website in 2018 to clarify that not all companies accessing the database are "telemarketers."
The Insights Association's letter urged iconectiv to utilize more accurate terminology, saying: "Referring to all entities that have legitimate business needs to access the Intermodal Ported Telephone Number Identification Service (also known as the “Wireless Do Not Call (WDNC) service”) as “telemarketers” or “users who engage in the business of telephone marketing” encourages consumer and regulatory confusion regarding the types of entities who require access to WDNC. The company responded quickly, replying that iconectiv intended no disparagement by the telemarketing terms used, but had used them as a placeholder until better ones could be agreed upon. Fortunately, better terms have finally been used.
Number portability is the ability of a customer (either an individual or business) to take their telephone number with them if they change phone companies (to "port" their number). This porting will apply even in cases where the individual is porting a landline number to a cell phone, which is why the database is so vital to compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) restrictions on calling wireless numbers.
This information is not intended and should not be construed as or substituted for legal advice. It is provided for informational purposes only. It is advisable to consult with private counsel on the precise scope and interpretation of any laws/regulation/legislation and their impact on your particular business.
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.