scope:

Purpose

This document describes guidelines for the assignment of Carrier Identification Codes (CICs) in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) area and is a product of industry consensus reached under the aegis of the Industry Numbering Committee (INC). The document will be maintained by the INC, which will, therefore, be responsible for the determination of any necessary changes or updates. These CIC Assignment Guidelines do not detract from the ability of an appropriate governmental or regulatory agency to exercise authority over any and all issues herein.¹ These CIC Assignment Guidelines and future changes to the CIC Assignment Guidelines will be submitted to the agencies for their review. In addition, it should be understood that these CIC Assignment Guidelines supersede any previously issued CIC assignment guidelines.

These CIC Assignment Guidelines have been formulated with consideration of the following two legitimate needs. First, the recognition that the CICs represent a finite resource and should, therefore, be used efficiently and conserved to the extent possible; and second, that their prudent use is inherent in the provision of telecommunications and interconnected VoIP provider services.² Therefore, these CIC Assignment Guidelines should offer the greatest latitude in the provision of telecommunication and interconnected VoIP services, while maintaining the effective management of a finite resource.

The assignment practices detailed in these CIC Assignment Guidelines apply to the assignment of CICs made directly by North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) to a specific entity. (See Section 2.2 for CIC application procedures). Therefore, the maximum number of CICs an entity may be assigned under these CIC Assignment Guidelines pertains to the number of CICs the CIC Administrator may directly assign to that entity. Accordingly, codes obtained via means other than direct assignment by the NANPA are outside the scope of these CIC Assignment Guidelines and hence, are not included in the maximum code assignment limits. The requirements specified in these CIC Assignment Guidelines will apply to all CICs (e.g., the access and usage requirements for retaining CICs) regardless of the manner through which an entity obtained a code.

CICs provide routing and billing information for TDM-based calls from end users via trunkside connections to interexchange carriers and other entities. Those entities connect their facilities to access provider's facilities using several different access arrangements, the common ones being Feature Group B (FG B) and Feature Group D (FG D). Access providers are common carriers and connecting carriers that provide interconnection services between an entity and another provider of telecommunications services or interconnected VoIP services. CICs were introduced in 1981 as 2-digit codes then were expanded to 3-digit codes in 1983. At that time CICs were assigned from a single pool of numbers serving both FG B and FG D access. Initially, entities could be assigned up to a maximum of three CICs, a primary and two supplemental CICs. When it was recognized that the supply of 3-digit CICs would eventually exhaust, the industry developed a plan to expand the resource to 4 digits, i.e., CIC expansion. In 1989, when the 700th CIC was assigned, industry agreements limited assignments to one per entity to prevent exhaust before completion of CIC expansion.

CIC expansion was planned for implementation in two phases. Phase 1 was completed on April 1, 1993, at which time FG B and FG D CICs were split into two separate assignment pools. In addition, the FG B resource was expanded from 3 to 4 digits. FG D CICs continued to be assigned in the 3-digit format until exhaust which signaled the start of Phase 2. Phase 2 of CIC expansion was completed on April 1, 1995 when FG D CICs were expanded to 4 digits. Existing 3-digit FG D CICs were converted to 4 digits by prepending a "0" in front of the CIC. After Phase 1 but before Phase 2 CIC expansion, entities could, if requested, reserve a 4-digit FG D CIC that matched the assigned 4-digit FG B CIC, which would be assigned when 4-digit FG D CICs became available. These CIC Assignment Guidelines have been modified to reflect the completion of CIC expansion and the availability of 4-digit CICs.

For the purposes of these CIC Assignment Guidelines, CICs are 4-digit numeric codes which are currently used to identify customers who purchase Feature Group B (FG B) and/or Feature Group D (FG D) access services,³ Billing and Collections Clearinghouses that provide third-party bill aggregation services on behalf of access purchasers.⁴ These codes are primarily used for routing from the local exchange network to the access purchaser and for billing between the LEC (Local Exchange Carrier) and the access purchaser. For interconnected VoIP providers, they are used for compensation purposes related to Universal Service Fund terminating and originating access.⁵

¹ The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved the Canadian Adjunct to the INC Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Assignment Guidelines. Those are for the administration of CICs in Canada by the Canadian Numbering CIC Administrator (CNA). The latest version is available at http://crtc.gc.ca/cisc/eng/cisf3fg.htm.

² 47 CFR §52.5 (j).

³ For purposes of these CIC Assignment Guidelines "access services" includes the purchase of trunk access for FG B or D, and, in the case of FG B, translations access (where available). Although LECs are not formal "purchasers" of FG B or FG D access, these CIC Assignment Guidelines do not preclude LECs from being assigned CICs.

⁴ CIC codes also are used by Billing and Collection Clearinghouses to facilitate billing for smaller access purchasers that do not have direct agreements with the LECs for billing. Billing and Collections Clearinghouses are not access purchasers, but they do have direct agreements with the LECs for billing services and use a common CIC code to identify all of their customers' usage for settlement purposes.

⁵ See WC Docket No. 10-90 USF/ICC Transformation Orders 11-161 released 11/18/2011 and 11-189 released 12/23/2011.