The chairman of a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has joined the chorus of wireless telecommunication companies, state regulators and consumer advocates that want the Federal Communications Commission to shorten the time it takes to transfer a consumer's landline phone number from one company to another.

In a letter sent Monday to FCC Acting Chairman Michael Copps, House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., asked the FCC to "swiftly" adopt a rule to reduce what is now a four-day interval to 48 hours.

Telecommunications companies supporting the effort are asking for a 24-hour standard.

The FCC is considering making the change before Julius Genachowski, Obama's nominee for FCC chairman, is installed. Genachowski is awaiting Senate confirmation for the post.

People familiar with the issue say the change is one that can be approved easily by the current three-member commission, which will soon have new faces. The item has been on the FCC's docket for years.

The process of moving a landline number, known as "porting," can take up to a week if the transaction occurs near a weekend. The long wait time puts off customers who otherwise would be lured by new, cheaper phone products such as "triple play" offers from cable companies.

By contrast, wireless carriers say they can "port" cellphone numbers between cellular providers in a few hours.

The push to shorten the porting period has been revived this year by T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT). Sales of T-Mobile's $10-a-month at-home Internet phone have been hampered by the long wait to port a home phone number.

Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) also has met with FCC officials to advocate for a one-day porting interval. Comcast's bundled package of Internet, phone, and cable service can be self-installed immediately by new customers once their desired phone number is available.

Last week, the advocacy groups Consumers Union and Public Knowledge weighed in, asking the FCC for a one-day interval. "When the porting interval is unnecessarily long - as is presently the case - the process can be gamed by incumbent phone companies to hobble competition and discourage innovation," the letter said.

Smaller phone companies like Windstream Corp. (WIN) have told FCC officials the costs of shortening the porting period are too great, requiring them to automate their systems or hire more staff. The FCC is likely to waive the deadline in such instances.

Boucher said the FCC should give those firms a chance to recover the costs of any upgrades they require.

-By Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; fawn.johnson@dowjones.com