The population keeps growing. All those new people have telephones. And second lines for
their kids. And extra lines for their computers. And additional numbers for their mobile
phones. And we’re running out of telephone numbers.The N.C. Utilities Commission wants to solve the problem by
creating an overlay code area that will have us all dialing 10 digits, even when we call
people nearby. And some of your neighbors may have a different area code than you.
The commission has adopted a proposal from the
telephone industry to use area code overlays instead of splitting territories into ever
smaller area code divisions.
People in the 704 area will be the first in the
state to share their territory with a second area code. Officials have not yet picked the
number for the second area code. That is up to the North American Numbering Plan
Administrator, who assigns the area codes and also has responsibility for the prefixes
that immediately follow area codes.
Jerry Weikle, manager of regulatory affairs for
CTCommunications, who is representing his company in working with the state commission,
said the change is not a big deal. “But it is a change and change just takes a little
while to get used to,” he said. “This is happening more and more often across
the country.”
He said some areas, such as Washington D.C., have
had to go to 10-digit dialing because they have such a large local calling scope.
Washington D.C.’s crosses state lines.
It is happening also in big cities such as
Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas and Houston.
Locally, it would mean you’d have to dial 704
or the new area code, even if you are just calling a next-door neighbor — punching 10
digits instead of seven.
Weikle said industry companies worked together on
the proposal they gave the commission. In the proposal, the overlay only affects the 704
area. “Instead of doing a split into two area codes, they’re plopping a new one
right on top,” he said.
The commission has until the beginning of November
to respond, Weikle said. They can approve, reject or amend the proposal.
If the overlay concept is approved, nothing would
change until after the first of the year, Weikle said, because the companies don’t
want to add any confusion to the Y2K issue.
After a proposal is adopted, Weikle said callers
would have a “permissive dialing period,” during which calls would go through
dialed either the old way or the new way. “Nothing is going to change right
now,” he said. “If people know it is coming, that’s all anybody can
do.”
Permissive dialing could start as early as early
next year, Weikle said, but it also could be another year or two before anything actually
changes. “The industry is getting together next month in Charlotte,”Weikle said,
“to discuss how companies and customers will be impacted and try to determine the
best thing for everybody.”The change has been ordered, he said. “Now the
industry is tasked with figuring how to make it work efficiently.”
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