A customer wants a specific telephone number for his business. I know it's available. It is in a block of numbers in the 631-749- exchange.

Our town has only that exchange. A few years ago, when Cablevision got into the phone biz, they were assigned the 5xxx group by...(WHOM?) That's question #1.

Cablevision upper management claims that they have no method or policy by which a really rich, really big potential customer can be granted a particular number, because all their line assignments (that's a BOC term, not theirs) are done "by computer." Question #2 Does that sound logical?

They say to call Verizon, who "owns" all the numbers, get them to install the number, and then port the number to Cablevision.

Verizon agrees with me that they (VZ) do NOT "own" that block of numbers, and that Cablevision was granted or assigned that block when they got into the biz. Cablevision denies that.

Verizon cannot assign that number, or any number within that group. Question #3 is that correct?

Does anyone wish to comment?

looks like the block is split vrz has most of it. level 3 owns the 7000 block, cablevison owns the 5000 block. So basically cable vision is clueless.

Doling out blocks of telephone numbers within an NPA/NXX to different providers does happen.

I'm not sure which company decides how it is done. I suspect it is the same company that controls area code splits & overlays.

You would need to find out which provider owns the telephone numbers in the desired block establish service with said provider and then port the numbers to the desired provider.

It looks like Level 3 Communications has -6 and -7 also. TELCODATA.US seems to do a good job of maintaining accurate information about exchange splits and assignments.

As far as who actually assigns these blocks, my guess would be the NANPA.

If Cablevision truly owns the block, I don't see any easy way to steal one of their numbers. Not to mention, they paid for them, so they can be as picky as they want about assigning them. In essence, they purchased a block of 1,000 DID numbers just like a regular customer would.

EDIT: Man, you have to be quick around here!

3 replies in about 2 minutes. Gotta be a record!

Couldn't you (briefly) get service with cablevision (assuming they can assign the number you want), and then switch to the carrier of your choice, taking the number with you under the number portability rules?

I wonder if any of the cable companies in Canada or the US are set up for "vanity number" assignment?

To have the software override to generate them would be an extra upfront cost and I think that most of their customers are residential or small business who could care less what their number spells.

I don't want to do that. I want to do what I said in my OP. I don't want a number that "spells" anything.

I want to get service from Cablevision, whose service for POTS is far superior to VZ, the ILEC, in sound quality and reliability, and I want a particular (currently vacant) telephone number from their pool of numbers.

They claim there is no pool, (tey're wromg, of course) and they claim they have a policy of not accommodating potential subscribers who want a particular number or "type" of number, like one ending with 0, 00, 000 or one that has repetitive digits. (You know, what we call in the trade a "good" number.)

When I contacted VZ, they could not help, because the number I want is in the pool owned by Optimum.

And around and around we go.

I want to get service from Cablevision, whose service for POTS is far superior...

Then you say:

They claim there is no pool, (they're wrong, of course) and they claim they have a policy of not accommodating potential subscribers who want a particular number or "type" of number, like one ending with 0, 00, 000 or one that has repetitive digits.

I think you just contradicted yourself.

-Hal

Their sound quality is superior to copper, out here in the sticks. They have no dropouts, noise, buzz, hum, or any of the other symptoms that are inherent in copper and a company that refuses to fix it. VZ has abandoned any semblance of repairing or maintaining copper.

I had a ground hum on my line for two years. They couldn't/wouldn't fix it, no matter how loudly I yelled. I went out on the pole on Superbowl Sunday (to avoid detection) a few years back, and swapped some copper to fix my own line. It stayed fixed for 6 months or so. Then it went bad again and I pulled the plug on my former employer permanently.

Generally, Optimum has courteous, English-speaking, knowledgeable employees, both inside and out. This current problem is just the fault of some bureaucrat who has got their policies and software maladjusted, is all.

"Their sound quality is superior to copper"

I have found this in one particular area but the exact opposite with a customer on the other side of the HWY...CV should work on Consistency