FCC: there are 5,428 "interstate telecommunications" companies

Today, the Federal Communications Commission posted its annual Telecommunications Provider Locator report.

As of October, 2006, the FCC counted 5,428 companies registered to provide interstate telecommunications. That's compared to 5,632 companies as of October 2005.

Interesting.  I count a drop of more than 200 companies in that interim. Considering the inevitable, but unspecified, new companies that were added to this most recent list, there probably there were quite a bit more than 200 deletions.

That trendline points to consolidation, as well as a rougher competitive environment for smaller phone companies across the service spectrum.

Perform a search on this page (with screencap shown above), and you'll get info about key areas of business (local, wireless, payphone, operator and prepaid calling card, or other toll services), and whether it contributed to support universal service.  And yes, VoIPs are included,

In case you want to complain to an executive, the report also provides contact information for each company, current as of 10/06.