§  52.20   Thousands-block number pooling.

   (a) Definition. Thousands-block number pooling is a process by which
   the 10,000 numbers in a central office code (NXX) are separated into
   ten sequential blocks of 1,000 numbers each (thousands-blocks), and
   allocated separately within a rate center.

   (b) General requirements. Pursuant to the Commission's adoption of
   thousands-block number pooling as a mandatory nationwide numbering
   resource optimization strategy, all carriers, except those exempted by
   the Commission, must participate in thousands-block number pooling
   where it is implemented and in accordance with the national
   thousands-block number pooling framework and implementation schedule
   established by the Commission.

   (c) Donation of thousands-blocks. (1) All service providers required to
   participate in thousands-block number pooling shall donate
   thousands-blocks with ten percent or less contamination to the
   thousands-block number pool for the rate center within which the
   numbering resources are assigned.

   (2) All service providers required to participate in thousands-block
   number pooling shall be allowed to retain at least one thousands-block
   per rate center, even if the thousands-block is ten percent or less
   contaminated, as an initial block or footprint block.

   (d) Thousands-Block Pooling Administrator. (1) The Pooling
   Administrator shall be a non-governmental entity that is impartial and
   not aligned with any particular telecommunication industry segment, and
   shall comply with the same neutrality requirements that the NANPA is
   subject to under this part.

   (2) The Pooling Administrator shall maintain no more than a six-month
   inventory of telephone numbers in each thousands-block number pool.

   [ 65 FR 37709 , June 16, 2000, as amended at  66 FR 9532 , Feb. 8, 2001;  68 FR 43009 , July 21, 2003]