PUCO Announces New 283 Area Code Assignment
for Southwest Ohio When The Current
513 Area Code Is Exhausted

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) today announced it has received a new "283" area code assignment from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) for Southwest Ohio presently served with the 513 area code except for the Franklin exchange which will be reassigned to the 937 area code. The Franklin exchange includes the cities of Franklin, Springboro, the Village of Carlisle and the townships of Clearcreek and Franklin. The new 283 area code will become effective once the numbers have exhausted in the existing 513 area code, currently projected for the third quarter of 2001. 

In September, 2000, the PUCO approved a plan that will "overlay" a new area code into the existing 513 area code and that will ultimately require mandatory 10-digit local dialing in the existing 513 area beginning on a date to be determined but no earlier than June 2001. It is not expected that any 283 area code phone numbers will be given out prior to the third quarter of 2001, unless the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) determines the exhaust of 513 to be sooner than originally projected. Under the plan, all calls that are currently local will remain local and those that are long distance will continue as such. 

Telephone numbering in the U.S., Canada, and the U.S. territories of the Caribbean is designed and administered according to the North American Number Plan (NANP). The NANPA, which oversees the procedures and protocols for the assignment of area codes, estimates that the existing 513 area code will exhaust its supply of three-digit prefixes in the third quarter of 2001. 

The growth of competitive local telephone service providers and the increase in telephone consumers using second phone lines, pagers, facsimile machines, cellular telephones, and computer modems has resulted in an exponential growth in the demand for telephone numbers. 

"The companies will now begin working on the technical implementation of the new area code so that when the numbers in the 513 area code are exhausted the new area code can be activated," said PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber. 

The 513 area code serves at least some customers in the following nine Ohio counties:

Ten-digit dialing means telephone users will need to dial their area code plus the seven-digit telephone number for all local calls in the future. Customers who have the current 513 area code will be able to keep their current phone numbers, but will eventually need to dial the 513 or 283 area code for all local calling. In order to acclimate subscribers to the pending changes in local dialing, between January 15, 2001 and for at least six months, subscribers will be able to complete local calls during a "permissive dialing period" by dialing either 10- or 7-digits. Sometime after January 1, 2001, the Commission will determine when 10-digit local dialing should begin on a mandatory basis. 

"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 telephone, and computer modems came an exponential growth in the demand for telephone numbers," a recent Commission order states. 

"We cannot ignore that additional drain on area codes in Ohio is due to advanced technology," said 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 such as 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' (area code)," the Commission order states. The PUCO held three public hearings in the 513 area code territory (in Cincinnati, West Chester and Franklin). 

"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." 

With the addition of the 283 area code, Ohio will have 11 area codes operating in the state. About 150 new area codes have been created and put into use in the U.S. within the past four years. In any one area code, about eight million different telephone numbers may be assigned. 

Recently, the PUCO filed an additional motion with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking for reconsideration and clarification of a recent FCC ruling on numbering administration. The PUCO continues to seek additional authority to implement its own area code relief measures within Ohio, including the authority to order technology- and/or service- specific area code overlays. The PUCO supports assigning new area codes to services such as fax machines, ATMs, gasoline pumps etc. instead of the current overlay requirement which does not distinguish these services within an overlay assignment. 

SOURCE Public Utilities Commission of Ohio