About the Reassigned Numbers Database
The Reassigned Numbers Database (RND or Database) is an important part of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) multi-pronged approach to addressing the problem of unwanted calls. When a telephone number is reassigned, callers may inadvertently reach the new consumer (who now has the reassigned number), not who they intended to call (the number’s prior owner). These calls can be incredibly annoying to the recipients who do not want to receive them, and can subject callers to liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
On December 13, 2018, the FCC released a Second Report and Order on Advanced Methods to Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls. In the Reassigned Numbers Order, the FCC established a single, comprehensive RND to address the problem of unwanted calls to consumers with numbers reassigned from a previous consumer. The RND shall contain reassigned number information from each provider that obtains North American Numbering Plan U.S. geographic numbers and toll-free numbers.
Callers and Caller Agents may query the RND to determine whether a telephone number has been permanently disconnected from the consumer they intend to reach, thus allowing them to avoid calling consumers with potentially reassigned numbers who may not wish to receive the call.
Callers and Caller Agents who query the RND will receive a response for each telephone number queried: “yes,” “no,” or “no data.” These responses will indicate whether the number has been reassigned (or more accurately, permanently disconnected) since the date provided.
The FCC defined a safe harbor from potential TCPA liability for Callers that can demonstrate that they appropriately checked the most recent update of the database and that the database incorrectly reported “no” when given either the date they contacted that consumer or the date on which the Caller could be confident that the consumer could still be reached at that number.
The following table summarizes the output as it applies to the Safe Harbor:
| Yes | means that Safe Harbor does not apply because the telephone number queried has been permanently disconnected on or after the date of consent. |
| No | means that Safe Harbor may apply because the telephone number queried has not been permanently disconnected since consent was provided or if the number was not permanently disconnected and the date of consent is on or after January 27, 2021. |
| No Data | means that Safe Harbor does not apply because the telephone number was not permanently disconnected and the date of consent was prior to January 27, 2021. |
About the RND Administrator
Through a competitive procurement, the FCC selected SomosGov, Inc. to serve as the designated independent entity responsible for managing the RND in an efficient, effective, fair, unbiased, and non-discriminatory manner, consistent and in compliance with regulatory directives and industry guidelines.
Management and administrative activities include customer awareness and program adoption, Caller/Caller Agent and Service Provider/Service Provider Agent onboarding, customer support, compliance with all policies and guidelines, billing and industry reimbursement, system deployment and operations, and reporting.