Consider Consumers; Split Area Codes By Geography

Date: 04/26/00 22:00

The substantial growth in communication devices has created the need for a new area code in the Kansas City region. The official proposal put forward to deal with this matter is to "overlay" the new area code inside the same boundary of the current 816 area code. But this is not the route that should be followed by the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Instead, the commission should create what's called a "geographic split." The region served by the 816 area code roughly would be divided in two. The 816 prefix would continue to be used in part of the region and the new area code would be used in the other.

Many people would be able to keep the same area code, while others would get the new one. But the split would be clean and would happen in one swift move. In addition, this action would make sense geographically because people in large parts of the Kansas City region would share the same area code.

The overlay plan is favored by NeuStar, which administers telephone numbering systems; it is the simplest way for telephone companies to add area codes.

However, the overlay plan has the potential to be extremely confusing to the people who use phones, fax machines, pagers and other communication devices. Under the overlay system, the new area code would be given to all new telephone customers inside the current 816 area code. People in the same neighborhoods could have different area codes. This is a recipe for confusion on a grand scale.

In 1995, the Public Service Commission faced a similar choice in eastern Missouri. At the time, the official plan also was to proceed with the overlay approach, creating a second area code of 573 in the same geographic region then served by the 314 prefix.

Using common sense, the commission voted for the geographic split. Most users in the St. Louis area got to keep the 314 area code, while the new 573 prefix was given to customers in cities such as Columbia and Jefferson City.

The precedent is a sound one. Other state commissions also have approved geographic splits.

The Public Service Commission is scheduled to hold public hearings in Jackson County and St. Joseph on May 3 to discuss the overlay plan in the 816 area code. Written comments from other interested parties will be accepted on May 10.

If local phone customers are interested in having an area code system that makes sense, they should tell the commission that a geographic split of area codes is the best plan for the Kansas City region. The commission has good reasons on its own to follow this approach.

All content © 2000 The Kansas City Star