Is there any kind of "phone number ombudsman" who can free a number in limbo?

Factual Questions
1

I’d like, if possible, to reclaim a 312 (Chicago) number I lost in limbo when I moved from PagePlus to FreedomPop. The number never made it, so I’ve limped along for a couple of years using my Google Voice number instead. 312 numbers cost hundreds of dollars at phonenumberexpert.com.

I just called PagePlus and they say the number is now with Sprint, but I suspect that’s just where it ended up when I tried to transfer it to FreedomPop (a Sprint MVNO) and it got stuck. Or it might have reverted because it was originally in Sprint’s block of mobile numbers in the late 1990s. When I dial it, it goes immediately to generic voicemail. None of the lookup sites I’ve tried show it as another person’s number.

Is there any kind of “phone number ombudsman” who can resolve such situations?

2

If it has been a couple of years, you are likely not going to get the same number back. I had been under the impression that full number portability was supposed to be a given but it seems that it is not.

Full portability was supposed to be in place from all LECs (Local Exchange Carrier) in the US since the mid 1990s. I am guessing that PagePlus is not a ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) or even a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) and as such they didn’t have to offer the portability.

3

I’ve never heard of such an ombudsman but have you tried the state Public Utilities Commission? They may be able to help or at least to advise you.