Fcc Will Increase Cap On 800 Numbers

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to alter as early as today its cap on how many 800 numbers phone companies can sell.

Facing a rapid depletion in the number of available toll-free numbers, the FCC last week said phone companies can’t dole out more than 200 new 800 numbers each week. Without that cap, the agency said, the reserve of 600,000 numbers would have been used up within six weeks.

The FCC is expected to revise its rationing of 800 numbers by adopting AT&T’s proposal to link the cap to a company’s market share of the 800-number market. That would be a victory for the top three long-distance companies.