559 announced for California's 209 split

      SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 1997--The California Public Utilities Commission has approved boundaries for the geographic split of Central California's 209 area code, but has also reserved the possibility of modifying that decision pending the outcome of Fresno County's complaint case.

          The new area code, 559, to be introduced Nov. 14, 1998, will serve Madera, Fresno, Tulare and Kings Counties and small portions of seven other counties in the southern portion of San Joaquin Valley now served by the 209 area code.

          Needed to meet increasing demand caused by the deregulation of the telephone industry and the explosion of high technology, 559 will be California's 23rd area code.  California has more area codes than any other state in the nation.  The addition of the new 559 area code will not affect the price of telephone calls.

          A six-month "get acquainted" period will begin on Nov. 14, 1998 that will allow customers to dial either 209 or 559.  During this period, people calling from outside the area can dial either the old 209 or the new 559 to reach customers within the 559 area code.  Customers within the two area codes will also be able to call between the two geographical areas using only the seven-digit phone number for the six-month "get acquainted" period. 

New Area Code Boundaries

          -- The boundaries for the area code split generally runs along the Madera County line where it borders on Mariposa and Merced counties.  The northern region will retain the 209 area code and the southern region will be assigned to the new 559 area code.

          -- The northern region which will retain the 209 area code includes: Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador counties, most of Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Mariposa counties and very small parts of Madera, Fresno, Sacramento, El Dorado, Alpine, Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties.  Cities in the northern region include: Lodi, Stockton, Modesto, Turlock, Sonora and Merced.

          -- The new 559 area code will serve customers in the southern region that contains:  most of Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties, and very small portions of Merced, Mariposa, Mono, Inyo, San Benito, Monterey and Kern counties.  Cities in the southern region include: Fresno, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Lindsay and Porterville.

          The estimated life-span of the 559 area code is expected to be 13 to 15 years.  According to California Code Administrator Doug Hescox, "It will be a long time before the customers in the south will have to worry about another area code change."  Hescox noted that new area code could last up to four years longer than the 209 area code in the north. 

Public Input Crucial to Finalizing Area Code Boundaries

          Hescox, who coordinates area code relief planning statewide for the telecommunications industry, recognized the difficulty in determining which area was to retain the 209 area code.  "A series of public hearings were held to receive comment specifically about which region should keep the 209 area code," Hescox said.  "We received a lot of valuable information at these meetings and through letters that helped us in making our final recommendation."

          Several key issues were cited in retaining the 209 number in the northern region.  Important factors include:  a worldwide emergency medical information service and a major military support service are located in the north; the north has more telephone prefixes available and strong ties to its surrounding area codes, including those in the Bay Area. 

Call Price is Not Impacted by Area Code Split

          Introduction of the new 559 area code will not affect the price of telephone calls.  "What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the area code change.  Call distance and time determines the price of a call, not whether or not you dial an area code," said Hescox. 

Confirm Equipment Can Accommodate the New 559 Area Code

          In 1995, a series of new-style of area codes was introduced in North America, and 559 is part of this new series that can use any three digits from 220 to 999.  This new style of area codes has special ramifications for certain types of telecommunications equipment, which must be re-programmed to recognize the new format.

          "Historically, area codes always had either a '1' or '0' as the middle digit for identification purposes, but by 1995 all of those codes had been assigned," Hescox stated.  "Due to this change in format, it's important for customers to know that PBX (private phone) systems, auto-dialers, alarms and other telecommunications equipment may have to be re-programmed to recognize the new-style area codes in order for calls to complete," added Hescox.  Customers affected by the area code split should contact their personal vendors to determine if their equipment needs to be updated. 

Things to Remember

          During the six-month "get acquainted" period which will enable the customer to use either the 209 or 559 area code, customers are being encouraged to use this period to make important changes.  These include:

     -- Change stationery, business cards and advertising to reflect the new area code

     -- Notify friends, relatives, business clients and customers of the new area code

     -- Update fax machine group calling lists that have numbers affected by the change

     -- Reprogram speed dialers, auto dialers, alarms and PBX (private phone systems) to reflect the change (contact your equipment vendor for assistance)

     -- Reprogram outdial lists on personal computers that have numbers affected by the change

      -- Check with wireless phone and paging service providers to find out if re-programming is required.

          The 209 area code relief plan was collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group composed of more than 30 companies, including: AirTouch, AT&T, AT&T Wireless, the California Cable Television Association, GTE, MCI, Pacific Bell, Page Net, Sprint and others.  Public comment was gathered through a series of public hearings that were held in October 1996, and March and April 1997.

          The California Code Administration is an independent planning group that coordinates area code relief planning and administers numbering resources on behalf of the California telecommunications industry.  Final decisions on area code issues are made by the California Public Utilities Commission.