In preparation for the blessed day at the end of November when cellular number portability arrives, the FCC has issued guidelines for carriers. They're non-binding, though.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said carriers should let defecting customers keep their old number even if their account has an unpaid balance. The FCC also found "no technical reason" why switching subscribers should have to wait longer than two-and-a-half hours before their old number is "ported" to their new dialing plan.
(via Gizmodo)
