JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Public Service Commission (PSC) approved multiple orders overturning North American Number Plan Administrator (NANPA) decisions related to Fidelity Communications Services at its weekly agenda meeting, with one commissioner lamenting federal “overreach.”
According to the order, Fidelity has wanted to “capture the minutes of traffic from its switch, create accurate carrier access billings, and ensure receipt of appropriate compensation for its switching function specifically related to the [local routing numbers] in the three number blocks” it had donated to the numbers pooling authority. The order said Fidelity has experienced problems routing and rating phone calls in certain switches.
The PSC overturned the NANPA’s denial of numbering resources for Fidelity in the Bourbon, Rolla, and St. James areas.
Commissioner Scott Rupp told the PSC to look at the orders with the “mindset of we’re stopping the overpowering reach of the federal government; we’re bringing some of that control back home.”
The orders are effective as of Nov. 2.
The PSC also approved an addendum to a territorial agreement between Ameren Missouri and Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, Inc, allowing the latter to service to a home in Daviess County and a cabin in Livingston County.
While both are in Ameren’s territory, Farmers’ can provide electric service “more economically” to the areas, the order said.
“I applaud Ameren’s ability and willingness to work cooperatively with Farmers on this issue,” Commissioner Daniel Hall said.
Additionally, commissioners also unanimously granted authority for the United Way of Greater Kansas City to continue serving as a Missouri Information and Referral provider for the 211 service Wednesday. The order granted the authority for three years.
The next PSC agenda meeting is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.