PUCO logo NEWS RELEASE
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
180 E. Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3793
 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Beth Gianforcaro, PUCO Media Office
(614) 466-7750
Alan R. Schriber, Chairman
WebSite: http://www.puc.state.oh.us/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2000
00-099

PUCO Approves Plans to Overlay A
New Area Code Into Ohio's 513 Area Code
Once Available Numbers Are Exhausted and Assigns
Franklin Telephone Exchange to 937 Area Code

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) today approved a plan that will "overlay" a new area code into the existing 513 area code. As a result, 10 digit local dialing will be required. The PUCO today also approved a request by the City of Springboro moving all areas served by the Franklin Exchange of the 513 area code to the 937 area code including the cities of Franklin, Springboro, the Village of Carlisle and the townships of Clearcreek and Franklin.

According to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), the 513 area code is now projected to run out of numbers in the third quarter of 2001. The 513 area code serves at least portions of the following nine counties: Hamilton, Clermont, Brown, Clinton, Greene, Montgomery, Warren, Butler, and Preble. Following today's approval for a new area code, the NANPA will assign a new area code for Southwest Ohio which will co-exist within the existing boundaries of the 513 area code. All existing 513 area code subscribers will continue to maintain the 513 area code. Once the phone numbers available in the 513 area code run out, telephone numbers in the news area code will be utilized. All calls that are currently local will remain local and those that are long distance will continue as such.

In order to acclimate subscribers in the 513 area code to the pending changes in local dialing, beginning January 15, 2001, and continuing for at least six months, subscribers will be able to complete local calls by dialing either 10- or 7-digits. Sometime after January 1, 2001 the PUCO will be in a better position to determine when mandatory 10-digit local dialing will be necessary. Mandatory 10-digit dialing means telephone subscribers will need to dial their area code plus the seven-digit telephone number for all local calls in the future.

Also, beginning May 1, 2001, subscribers in the Franklin Exchange will be able to complete local calls to both the 513 or 937 area codes within their local calling area by dialing 7 or 10 digits. However, beginning in November 2001, the 937 area code will become mandatory for the subscribers of the Franklin exchange which will require 10-digit local dialing between the Franklin exchange and the 513 area code and 7-digit local dialing within the 937 area code. All calls that are currently local will remain local and those that are long distance will continue as such.

"Area codes were first introduced over 50 years ago. In the event area code exhaust did occur, there were plenty of area codes to assign. However, the unimagined boom in telecommunications services that require telephone numbers has drastically altered the future of area codes ... With the increase in competitive local telephone companies, second lines, pagers, facsimile machines, cellular telephones, and computer modems came an exponential growth in the demand for telephone numbers," the Commission's order states.

"We cannot ignore that additional drain on area codes in Ohio is due to advanced technology," said PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber. "The need for area code relief clearly reflects the advent of more competition in the telecommunications industry, the economic growth in Ohio, and Ohio keeping pace with technological innovation (e.g., ATM machines, debit cards etc.). All of these are clearly aspects of development which are consistent with the State's telecommunications policy. Unfortunately, number exhaust is an adverse consequence of the otherwise positive developments."

"After considering the record in this case, including the Planning Team Report, the Commission concludes that the overlay plan is the more appropriate and equitable plan in order to provide the best long-term area code relief for the "513" NPA," the Commission order states. (The NPA is commonly known as an area code). "The Commission recognizes that with the accelerated exhaust of (area codes), overlay plans are becoming more prevalent in Ohio and across the country."

"As Ohio's telecommunications needs and technology increase, we all are likely to be dialing ten digits for local calls," said Schriber. "This is a small price to pay for the features and conveniences we'll soon have at our disposal. History shows that telephone users have demonstrated an ability to adapt well to changes in dialing patterns." The PUCO has currently approved plans for 10-digit dialing in the 330/234 area codes and the 419/567 area codes.

With respect to the decision to move the Franklin exchange, "the Commission also concludes that the requested reassignment of the Franklin Exchange to the 937 NPA is reasonable. In reaching this conclusion the Commission has considered the testimony regarding the community of interest which exists between the Franklin Exchange and the Dayton metropolitan area. In addition, the Commission recognizes the fact that NPA reassignment will unify the city of Springboro under one area code. Absent this reassignment, the city Spingboro would incur the introduction of a third area code as a result of the Commission's approval for an overlay in the 513 NPA." Furthermore, "the reassignment of the Franklin Exchange does not appear to have a significant impact on the forecasted exhaust for the 937 NPA." The 937 area code is forecasted by NANPA to exhaust during the fourth quarter 2003.

Telephone numbering in the U.S., Canada, and the U.S. territories of the Caribbean is designed and administered according to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The NANP administrator which outlines the procedures and protocols for the assignment of area codes.

In 1998, after monitoring the area code relief processes that had taken place in Ohio over the past several years, the PUCO implemented a standardized process to handle future area code relief. As part of that process, the Commission adopted a procedure which involved: 1) opening an investigation 24 months prior to the projected exhaust of prefixes in an area code; 2) convening a planning team of telecommunications industry and PUCO staff, required to solicit input from affected communities; 3) submission by the planning team to the Commission of all proposed options and holding public hearings for public input on the proposed options; and 4) and issuing an order adopting an area code relief plan no later than six months after the options are presented.

Since June 1999, a 513 Area Code Planning Team comprised of representatives of the telephone industry and PUCO staff has considered a number of issues and has developed two proposed plans that address state and national guidelines for the relief of the current 513 area code. These two proposals were presented to the Commission for consideration in December 1999. One proposed plan would have established a geographic split of the existing 513 area code and one proposal would overlay a new area code into the existing 513 area code. A geographic split is a plan that separates the existing area code into two distinct but smaller geographic area. One area would be assigned the new area code and one would retain the existing area code. With an overlay plan the new area code is layered on top of the existing area code in the same geographic area. With their geographic split proposal, the Planning Team did not make a recommendation about which side of a geographic split plan should receive a new area code, and which side would retain the existing 513 area code. In developing the two proposals, the 513 Planning Team sent more than 160 letters seeking input from all mayors, county commissioners and regional planning commissions in the 513 area code. A meeting was held in Columbus in October 1999 for the purpose of seeking input from these public officials regarding the proposed plans. Eight organizations were represented. In addition, three public hearings were held within the 513 area code in Cincinnati, Springboro and Franklin. Sworn, public testimony concerning the addition of a new area code in the 513 area has been included and considered as part of the record in this case.

Six new area codes have been added in Ohio since 1996 (234, 330, 440, 567, 740 and 937) due to the exhaustion of the State's then existing 216, 330, 419, 513 and 614 area codes. In any one area code, about eight million different telephone numbers may be assigned.

-30-
Case No. 99-668-TP-COI (5)

Editor's Note: The full text of the PUCO Opinion & Order is available on the PUCO web page at:
http://www.puc.state.oh.us/docket/ORDERS/2000/0924/99-668.pdf