Do you own your phone number?

Question

My family is trying to switch from cable (cox) to Fios.

we went all through the website figuring out how to make it so our phone number is transfered.

Can you transfer your phone from cable to fios

Anyone know about who owns your phone # and how u can transfer it?

Answer 1

Individuals do not actually own phone numbers.  You essentially rent, or lease numbers. You essentially rent/lease your number from the local exchange carrier (LEC).   As long as you pay them a monthly (or yearly) fee, you get to keep the number.  If you stop paying, bye, bye number.  Someone else can get it.

Your question is really referring to LNP - Local Number Portability.  

Recent laws allow you to keep your current phone number, upon request when changing carriers.  But, you must request to keep your number "before" you terminate your current service.  You must arrange with your new carrier, or service provider, to have your number transferred to their service.  The new carrier, or service provider leases your number back to you.  Often, your new service provider will take care of the transfer paperwork for you, at your request, - for a fee.  Transfer fees often range from $10 - $25, or more.  But remember, make the arrangements before you terminate your current service.

Answer 2

Nowadays, you do kind of own your phone number as with the law that passed about two years ago, you have the ability to transfer your phone number to any provider as you do with your cell phone providers.  

The new company that you are signing up with is responsible for notifying the company that you are leaving.

Answer 3

you do not "own" your phone number,

several years ago someone put the number [phone] up for auction on ebay this was from the song jenny from tommy tutone (the area code was not in the song, but this is the # that was acutioned)

Verizon had ebay pull the auction, as they are the "owner" of the phone number, you are just leasing the rights to use that number

with number portability you have the right to port your number from landline>landline, landline>cell, landline>voip, cell>cell, cell>landline, cell>voip, but no progress has been made that i am aware of that forces voip companys to port the number away from them.

as you have cable phone service (VoIP) it will be difficult, if not imposible to transfer your number. VoIP providers are not legally defined as telephone companies, and are not required to follow all of the same rules as a telephone company has to.

I always recommend to people who want to be able to keep there number not to port it to a voip provider for this reason...

it is the responsibility of your current provider to make the provisions required to port your number, so while you should make your intentions clear to verizon (fios) you should also put the pressure on the cable company.. perhaps with some luck and persistence, you can get them to release your number to verizon