PHONE LINES

LOCAL NUMBER PORTABILITY CHARGE

Federal law requires telephone companies to implement Local Number Portability (LNP) in selected service areas. What this means is that if you have service in this selected area, LNP allows you to keep your existing telephone number when you change service providers or, where feasible, when you move within the same company's exchange boundary.

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to allow service providers to impose a monthly fee for up to five years to pay for the high expense of installing back-office systems to handle Local Number Portability. The FCC says that allowing LNP provides genuine competition between new and incumbent service providers. Having to get a new number after, perhaps, years or decades on the old one could deter people from looking beyond their existing service provider.

How will this affect you? Effective on your March 1, 1999 monthly telecommunications bill, you may begin seeing this charge on a monthly basis. For example, Sprint United has already started billing effective February 8 and will do so until February 2004 at the rate of $.59 per line per month.

1999 STATE TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES

The 1999 NEBRASKA STATE GOVERNMENT DIRECTORIES are in the process of being bound. The Division of Communication's goal is to have them all distributed to state agencies by the end of March 1999. Thank you to all of the agency communications coordinators who continue to provide us assistance in this annual undertaking. These books will once again be sold to the general public at the Spirit of the Prairie Gift Shop in the Capitol or by contacting the Division of Communications at 402/471-2761. The cost to the general public for the directory will remain at $5.00 per copy. The information is also available on the Internet at http://www.state.ne.us. Then select State Phone Directory.

VOICE MAIL SERVICE AVAILABLE

The Division of Communications has awarded a contract for voice mail service at selected locations to Interact, Incorporated. The cities of North Platte, Grand Island, Norfolk, Fremont and Omaha are scheduled to be up and running by May 1, 1999. Wayne and Chadron are scheduled to be available by July 1, 1999.

Staff from the Division of Communications will be meeting with end users in agencies to explain the services that will be available and to assist with any questions. If you have any questions, contact Lana at 402/471-7890 or Bill at 402/471-3720

CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION CHANNELS

These are the channels that are currently assigned and available on CCTV as of January 28, 1999. As a reminder, Channel 2 is a good way to disseminate information within State Government. This channel provides information continuously and the audio is provided by Nebraska Public Radio. To post information on Channel 2, contact the Division of Communications at 402/471-2761. Suggestions on what to post include meeting notices, Education/Training items, information items unique to your Agency and Notices regarding safety bulletins or Agency relocation's. Please note: The information channel adheres to the State vendor solicitation policy and will not post anything that is in violation of that policy. A copy of this policy can be found in the inside front cover of the Nebraska State Government Directory, along with a contact name and number for any questions about this policy.

The Division of Communications is working with its vendors to assure that all equipment we are providing is Y2K compliant. We are also asking that telecommunications service providers notify us, in writing, what precautions they are taking with their central office equipment, etc. to make sure that service continues uninterrupted January 1, 2000.

DIRECTORY LISTING CLOSING DATES:

The following commercial telephone directories close their listings in the near future. If you have any offices listed in the local directories for these towns, please review your listings and contact LaDonna at 402-471-4701 if you have any changes.