AP: Regulators Work on Keeping Cell Numbers

For years we've been waiting for this moment - the day we can switch our mobile phone numbers from one carrier to another. That day is supposed to be next month, on November 24th. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has issued a new series of guidelines for how this must be implemented. Highlights include a requirement that the switch must activate within two and a half hours of the request, and that carriers must switch you even if you haven't settled your account.

The FCC estimates that six million of the 150 million active mobile users will want to switch. I think they've grossly underestimated this number, but we'll find out in the next few months - barring the kind of litigation we've seen on the Do-Not-Call list.