PrimeTel Communications

PrimeTel Communications is a telecommunications company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, nominally a service provider for toll-free telephone numbers. Founded in 1995, it is known for amassing large amounts of 800 numbers to redirect misdialed phone calls to erotic chat lines. PrimeTel acquires numbers that were previously registered and advertised, resulting in embarrassment when they advertise erotic chat lines. The company controls 1.7 million 800 numbers, as well as millions of numbers on other prefixes.

Toll-free number hoarding

In 2010, six RespOrgs operated 1.9 million toll free +1-800 numbers out of the 7.8 million possible numbers and were also occupying millions of numbers in other toll-free area codes. The numbers are worth an estimated $1 billion. While the six organizations have distinct names, they are simply called PrimeTel in the industry.

In theory, the hoarding of millions of toll-free telephone numbers is prohibited by CFR 2010 Title 47 section § 52.105 Warehousing and § 52.107 Hoarding. The latter section states, in part:

  1. Toll free subscribers shall not hoard toll free numbers.
  2. No person or entity shall acquire a toll free number for the purpose of selling the toll free number to another entity or to a person for a fee.
  3. Routing multiple toll free numbers to a single toll free subscriber will create a rebuttable presumption that the toll free subscriber is hoarding or brokering toll free numbers.[1]

The Federal Communications Commission, which is responsible for the CFR Title 47 regulation, has never taken formal action against PrimeTel.

Only a handful of individual complaints have received a response from the FCC. Robert and Lucyanna Westfall's 1998 complaint to the FCC was dismissed after an out of court settlement turned over the one disputed number to the complainants.[2] In a September 2011 FCC complaint, attorneys for Robert Liff, a prospective subscriber for a number in disconnect, objected that their client was unable to obtain the number (+1-888-PROGRESS) as it was ported from Verizon to Yorkshire (one of multiple Primetel resporgs) directly without ever having been placed in the spare pool. The complaint alleges Primetel's dummy company had falsely claimed to have a subscriber which had inadvertently used the Number in advertising, marketing, and/or promotional materials as a pretext to obtain a letter of authorisation (LOA) from the previous subscriber (Progress Inc. of Pipestone, Minnesota - a non-profit providing employment and training to the developmentally delayed[3]). This LOA was used to release the number on other than the legally-required first-come, first-served basis.[4] As of 2013, +1-888-PROGRESS remains under the control of Primetel resporg Yorkshire.

References
  1. CFR 2010 Title 47 § 52.107 Hoarding
  2. "Westfalls vs. Primetel". Federal Communications Commission. 1998. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  3. "Progress, Inc. | Pipestone, MN 56164 | Habilitative Work Provider". Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  4. "Robert Liff vs. Primetel, Yorkshire et al". Federal Communications Commission. 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
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