Phone Number Required be consistent

As if v4.7, the customer phone number field is required when a user opts to create an account (not while going through checkout) or when CP user creates or edits an account .... yet the hard-coded default in the OPC (One Page Checkout) is set to optional rather than required.

Ideally, this should all be consistent.

As it is as of 4.7, unless one changes the hard-coded toggle on onepagecheckoutJS.asp, their is an inconvenient conflict in the control panel when CP user updates a customer record, and the customer didn't supply a phone number.

In my experience, merchants prefer to have a phone number in case of issues, so default could/should be required. However, the setting as to whether to require or not should be "global" in all three places. It's either required not, rather than required in these two places  but not his other place.