CPUC Suspends All Area Code
Overlays In California
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today suspended
area code overlays previously scheduled for 408 in San Jose, 415, 510 and 650 in the San
Francisco area, 714 in Orange County, and 909 in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
The action taken today, along with the decision last September to
suspend the overlay scheduled for the 310 area code in the South Bay and Westside
communities of Los Angeles County, results in suspension of all overlays planned for the
state.
The Commission originally adopted plans to add area code overlays in
each of these areas. But that was done before mandatory 11-digit dialing, implemented last
April in the 310 area code, brought about an awareness of the extent of confusion and
disruption overlays cause. An area code overlay is where two or more area codes serve the
same area simultaneously.
Today’s decision to suspend the previously adopted area code
overlays is in response to various governmental bodies, consumer groups, and the CPUC
Office of Ratepayer Advocates which echoed consumer dissatisfaction with all the
infirmaries which accompany overlays.
With an overlay, consumers must dial 11 digits rather than just
seven digits on all calls (except 911, 411 and 611). Consumers and businesses, which add
another phone line, may end up with two area codes in their homes or workplaces. All
dialing equipment must be reprogrammed to dial 11 digits on all calls and some older
equipment not designed to dial 11 digits must be upgraded. Competing phone companies may
find it difficult to attract customers if they only have phone numbers in the new, and
therefore less desirable, area code.
Number conservation measures will be implemented in efforts to make
existing area codes last longer, thus deferring implementing new area codes. Conservation
measures include number pooling which is one of the most significant tools to defer the
need for new area codes. The Commission plans
to phase-in number pooling statewide on a staggered basis and is currently developing it
in the 310 and 818 area codes in Los Angeles County. Number
pooling is where phone companies share prefixes by being assigned
1,000 phone numbers at a time. The current practice assigns an entire prefix, which
contains 10,000 numbers, for every community, or rate center, where a local phone company
wants to start-up or expand service. The practice worked fine when just one company served
an area, but now that there is competition the practice uses up prefixes rapidly and some
companies have surpluses of numbers while others cannot get numbers to provide service.
Other conservation measures include reducing the amount of prefixes
given out each month to phone companies in these area codes. Prefixes, which have been
assigned to phone companies and are not being used, will be returned and reassigned. Phone
companies are ordered to sequentially assign numbers from their supplies; that will
preserve 1,000 blocks for future number pooling. The Commission will explore other
measures such as having certain types of telecommunications devices such as pagers and
cell phones on separate area codes.
The Commission will also adopt backup contingency plans to implement
new area codes which will be implemented only if an area runs out of new numbers despite
the number conservation measures. Customers
will be given advance notice before any new area codes take effect.
For the 909 area, last March the Commission approved an area code
split in an initial phase which would have run generally along the boundary line between
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. It was scheduled to begin February 12, 2000. Then a
year later, an overlay would be placed on the newly defined 909 area code. Today’s
decision suspends the overlay portion of that plan. The Commission still plans to split
the area but is temporarily suspending the split’s implementation because it is
requesting additional comments on redrawing the 909 area code boundary line in a manner
which would better balance the projected life between the old and new area codes. |