FCC Carrier / ISP Registration
Start your telecom carrier or ISP from scratch. We handle all federal and state registrations based on the services you plan to offer.
The short version: before you offer phone or internet service to the public, you generally need to register with several federal and state agencies — not just one. Which ones depends on what you sell (voice, broadband, mobile), who your customers are, and where they are. The questions below work that out, then we build and file your package.
Ready? Start the questions →What carrier / ISP registration means
There is no single “carrier license.” Registration is a set of separate filings, each with its own agency and its own ongoing duties:
- FCC Registration Number (FRN) — issued through the FCC’s CORES system. Every entity that does business with the FCC registers there, and the 10-digit FRN is needed for every other FCC filing.
- Form 499 with USAC — enrolls you in the Universal Service Fund reporting system.
- Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) — voice providers list their robocall-prevention plan with the FCC.
- CPNI certification — an annual filing on how you protect customer call data.
- State PUC/PSC registration — state by state, wherever you have customers.
- Industry databases, such as an NECA Operating Company Number (OCN), which major wholesale voice providers require before opening an account.
What the rules say
Requirements vary with the service you offer, but the main ones are:
- Carriers and VoIP providers report revenue to USAC on Form 499-A each year (due April 1); it is used to calculate Universal Service Fund and related contributions.
- Voice providers must implement STIR/SHAKEN caller-ID authentication or file a robocall mitigation plan, and keep their RMD entry recertified every year by March 1 — otherwise other carriers are required to block their traffic.
- Carriers and interconnected VoIP providers file an annual CPNI certification (47 CFR § 64.2009), due March 1.
- Retail providers register with the state utility commission in each state where they serve customers. Requirements range from a simple registration to full certification and tariffs.
- Service between the U.S. and other countries can need a separate International Section 214 authorization. Canada and the UK have their own regimes (CRTC and Ofcom).
Step-by-step guides: CORES / FRN · Robocall Mitigation Database · CPNI certification · Form 499-A
Who this applies to
Anyone launching a regulated communications business, for example:
- Voice — interconnected VoIP, CLEC, IXC or traditional telephony
- Broadband internet — ISPs on fiber, fixed wireless or cable
- Mobile — MVNOs (reselling another carrier’s network) and facilities-based operators
An MVNO still needs an FRN, Form 499, RMD and CPNI like any voice provider, though it generally doesn’t file mobile coverage data — the network owner does. Probably not you if you only provide cloud software or hosting with no phone or internet service; that is generally not regulated as telecommunications. Non-interconnected VoIP, satellite, paging and other specialized services need a custom assessment.
What we do for you
In the $1,299 base package
- CORES / FRN registration
- Form 499 initial registration (USF enrollment)
- D.C. registered agent (annual) — the FCC’s process-of-service address
- Where your answers call for them: RMD registration, CPNI certification, a CALEA SSI plan and BDC filing
Add-ons, only if you need them
- STIR/SHAKEN implementation
- NECA OCN registration
- International Section 214 authorization
- State PUC/PSC registration, per state
Add-ons your answers point to are pre-selected and you can remove any of them. Prices show as you go.
We work out which registrations apply from your answers, prepare the filings and submit them. If you don’t have a company yet, you can form a new entity as part of the order.
What services will you offer?
Tell us what you plan to do and we'll determine exactly which registrations you need.
What type of service will you offer?
Select all that apply.
How will you provide wireless service?
Who are your customers?
This affects which FCC filings are required. If your voice and broadband customers are different, select the option that covers both.
How will you deliver voice service?
Will you need any of these?
Check all that apply. These determine whether you need your own OCN and STIR/SHAKEN certificate.
How will you provide internet service?
Where will your end-user customers be located?
Retail telecom providers must register with the state PUC in each state where they serve customers. State PUC registration is triggered by customer location — your service terminates in their state using local infrastructure, creating regulatory nexus regardless of where you're incorporated.
About 27 states require full certification and tariff filing (CA, NY, PA, FL, IL, etc.), ~9 require registration only, and a handful (TX, UT, VA, WY) have minimal requirements. You don't need to register in all 50 states on day one — start with the states where you'll have customers, then expand as you grow. We handle state PUC filings at $399/state.
Where will your carrier customers be located?
Wholesale carriers generally don't need state PUC registration — the retail carrier serving end users holds the state obligation, not you. Your FCC registrations (CORES, Form 499, RMD) cover you at the federal level.
Will you offer international services?
Calls to/from other countries, international data transit, or serving customers outside the US.
The FCC requires a separate International Section 214 license to provide telecommunications services between the US and foreign points. This applies to international voice termination, international toll-free, global SIP trunking, and international data transit. Domestic-only carriers do not need this.
Are you affiliated with a foreign telecommunications carrier that has market power in the country you'll be terminating to/from?
"Affiliated" means owned by, or under common ownership with, that carrier — not just doing business with them. This determines whether the FCC processes your application on the streamlined (~14 day) or non-streamlined track, which changes our filing fee below.
Does any single owner (10%+ stake) live or operate outside the US?
Foreign ownership of 10% or more triggers a separate federal national-security review ("Team Telecom" — DOJ/FBI/DHS review), independent of the streamlined/non-streamlined track above. It can apply either way and adds significant time (FCC's own data: ~260 days on average) — it isn't priced into the tiers below.
Serving or terminating to Canada?
To terminate voice traffic to Canada, sell to Canadian customers, or operate Canadian infrastructure, you need a CRTC registration (Canada's FCC equivalent) — not a US International 214. Registered Canadian carriers get direct access to Canadian DIDs, local number portability, and CRTC interconnection, usually at lower termination rates than routing through a US-based international gateway.
Our Canada CRTC package includes BC incorporation, CRTC telecom registration, and a Canadian registered office — everything you need to operate as a licensed Canadian carrier.
Canada CRTC Registration ($3,899) →
Doing A-Z wholesale? Register as a Canadian carrier instead.
For an A-Z wholesale operation, a US-based International 214 just makes you another international gateway buying Canadian minutes at markup. A CRTC registration makes you a Canadian carrier in your own right — direct access to Canadian DID inventory, local number portability, and CRTC interconnection, with termination rates wholesalers actually compete on.
Most A-Z wholesalers expanding north do this as a registered domestic reseller — no Canadian citizenship required. Our package is fully turnkey: BC incorporation, CRTC telecom registration, and a Canadian registered office.
Canada CRTC Registration ($3,899) →The UK has no FCC-style federal carrier registration. MVNOs, VoIP providers, and resellers instead need to comply with Ofcom's General Conditions and enroll in a mandatory Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme before onboarding customers, alongside standard UK company formation.
Our UK telecoms package includes company formation, Ofcom General Conditions compliance, and ADR scheme enrollment — everything you need to operate as a compliant UK telecoms provider.
UK Ofcom Compliance Package (from £899) →