BROADCASTS.com

The FCC took the next step toward launching an experiment to modernize the way it assigns toll-free numbers. They are seeking comment on how to structure the first-ever U.S. auction to distribute certain toll-free numbers. The auction will make available approximately 17,000 numbers in the new 833 toll-free code for which there have been competing requests. The 833 auction will serve as an experiment in using competitive bidding—rather than a first-come, first-served system—to assign toll-free numbers and ensure that sought-after numbers are awarded to the parties that value them most. The FCC will use the lessons from this first-of-its-kind auction to determine how best to distribute toll-free numbers in the future.