Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id DAA17589; Mon, 10 Feb 1997 03:35:05 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 03:35:05 -0500 (EST) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199702100835.DAA17589@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #37 TELECOM Digest Mon, 10 Feb 97 03:35:00 EST Volume 17 : Issue 37 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Florida's 904 NPA (Bryan Bethea) Re: New Internet Domain Names (Greg Monti) Re: New Internet Domain Names (John R. Levine) Re: New Internet Domain Names (Dave Close) Re: New Internet Domain Names (Michael P. Deignan) California PUC Approves Splits (Tad Cook) Message Waiting Message (Dave Stott) Re: And the New Number is ... 323 (Dave Close) Re: Ordering a "Dedicated" Modem Line (B. A. Clark) Can Caller ID Be Provided As DTMF Tones? (Nicholas Marino) Re: Telegraph Questions (David Wigglesworth) Re: CID-on-CW-Beep and Other ADSI-based Features (Stan Schwartz) Business Complaints Against Jeff Slayton (Dave Keeny) New Scam! Unwanted Calls to Moldava (Tad Cook) 714 to Split in April, 1998 (Tad Cook) California's First Donut-Shaped Area Code Split (Tad Cook) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@massis.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bryan Bethea Subject: Florida's 904 NPA Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 15:52:29 -0600 The Florida PSC has ordered a three-way split of the code in May. All exchanges in the Jacksonville LATA will move to the new 850 NPA while the Daytona Beach LATA will move to yet another new code. Pensacola, Panama City, and Tallahassee will retain the 904 NPA. In my opinion this is not prudent use of numbering resources. The major reason that 904 was retained in the Panhandle was the whimpering of the State government over the inflated cost of reprogramming state equipment and reprinting stationery, etc. The Tallahassee bureaucrats have decided in favor of themselves rather than North Florida residents that will be impacted by these changes. Both the new 850 NPA and the smaller 904 NPA will be roughly equal in size. They will each need relief by 2006. The new Daytona Beach code, however, will only contain 64 codes! (and will last until my great-great-great grandchildren are on medicare!) Daytona Beach needs to be moved into the 352 NPA now covering the Gainesville LATA. From my reserarch there would be only one code conflict that could easily be resolved. The City of Jacksonville is appealing the PSC's decision to force Jacksonville into 850. I think the commission should reconsider and move Pensacola, Panama City, and Tallahassee into 850 and leave Jacksonville in 904 while moving Daytona Beach into the 352 NPA. Here is a code analysis of the 904 NPA: Pensacola LATA 112 codes Panama City LATA 73 codes Tallahassee LATA 120 codes* Jacksonville LATA 250 codes* Daytona Beach LATA 64 codes Orlando LATA 8 codes Mobile, AL LATA 3 codes [*approximate numbers] Since the 1995 split of the 904 NPA with the 352 NPA, the Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville LATAs have been the heaviest consumers of new codes. It is only logical to separate the three fast growing regions by moving Pensacola and Tallahassee into the 850 code and leaving Jacksonville in the 904 code while moving Daytona Beach into 352. Bryan Bethea Market Analysis Team Touch 1 Communications ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 22:47:39 -0500 From: gmonti@mindspring.com (Greg Monti) Subject: Re: New Internet Domain Names At 10:16 AM 2/7/97 EST, John R. Levine wrote: >> The article notes that 85,000 new domain names are registered per >> month, 90% of those ending with .com The 28 firms that will register >> the names will likely charge $50 per year per name, same as Internic >> charges. The 28 name givers have formed a Council of Registrars to >> administer conflicting claims. > If that's what the article said, they're jumping the gun by several > months. The registars will be chosen by an application process, with > a lottery if there are too many qualified applicants. There are rules > to ensure geographic diversity as well. The Wall Street Journal is usually pretty good with facts on technical stories. (The front page story about the storm of Skypage beepers going off last month was wonderfully detailed and humorous.) You're right. They jumped the gun this time. I think what they should have said was that 28 firms had lined up for naming duties. > For the true facts, see http://www.iahc.org where the report is, along > with far too many comments. You're not kidding. Those guys go on and on. And that web page was not the letters to the editor column, it was more like a press release. A short course in Publicity 101 couldn't hurt. Greg Monti Jersey City, New Jersey, USA gmonti@mindspring.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 23:01:51 EST From: John R Levine Subject: Re: New Internet Domain Names > jumped the gun this time. I think what they should have said was that 28 > firms had lined up for naming duties. Nope, the lottery has slots for 28 winners, with geographic quotas. They're still probably a month away from accepting entries, at least three months away from selecting winners, and six months away from accepting any registrations in the new domains. >> For the true facts, see http://www.iahc.org where the report is, along >> with far too many comments. > You're not kidding. Those guys go on and on. And that web page was not the > letters to the editor column, it was more like a press release. A short > course in Publicity 101 couldn't hurt. Considering both the time pressure and political pressure the IAHC have been working under, they did a pretty good job. The real issue, and one that nobody seems to be covering, is the coming war with NSI. NSI's agreement with the NSF runs out at the end of '98, at which point it is far from clear who has the right to decide who's the registrar(s) for .COM, .ORG, and .NET. NSI seems to have a theory that the database of domain names belongs to them, so they get to be the registrar forever, even though they created it under a government contract. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, http://iecc.com/johnl, Trumansburg NY Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies" and Information Superhighwayman wanna-be ------------------------------ From: dave@compata.compata.com (Dave Close) Subject: Re: New Internet Domain Names Date: 9 Feb 1997 21:44:17 -0800 Organization: Network Intensive gmonti@mindspring.com (Greg Monti) writes: > The article notes that 85,000 new domain names are registered per > month, 90% of those ending with .com It might help if local governments didn't register absurdities like cityname.com. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Politics is the business of getting dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 power and privilege without dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke ------------------------------ From: kd1hz@anomaly.ideamation.com (Michael P. Deignan) Subject: Re: New Internet Domain Names Date: 9 Feb 1997 17:51:34 -0500 Organization: The Ace Tomato Company In article , Greg Monti wrote: > The article notes that 85,000 new domain names are registered per > month, 85,000 x 100 = 85,000,000 x 12 = 1,020,000,000 Hmmm ... Pretty lucrative business the Internic has going, isn't it? MD ------------------------------ Subject: California PUC Approves Splits Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 12:00:24 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) State PUC approves split for 408, 510 area codes Mercury News Staff Report As expected, the California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday approved plans to split the 408 and 510 area codes. The splits are to relieve the crunch in availability of new phone numbers. The 408 split will create the 831 code, which will serve most of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. The industry-drawn plan, prepared after a number of public hearings, was approved by the PUC without changes, and the 831 code is scheduled to go into effect July 11, 1998. For the first six months after the code goes into effect, callers will be able to use either the 408 or 831 code to complete calls. After that grace period, 831 becomes the permanent code. Rates are not affected by area code splits. The 510 split will create the 925 code to serve areas east of the Oakland hills, including Martinez, Concord, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Moraga, Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton. It is scheduled to go into effect March 14, 1998. The PUC also approved a unique split for Los Angeles. The 213 area code will become the first area code in the state to be split into a ``doughnut.'' The current 213 code will serve the downtown business district, while the area circling the downtown area will become 323, effective June 13, 1998. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 12:22:41 -0500 From: Dave Stott Subject: Message Waiting Message I've had both Call Waiting and Caller ID with visual message waiting indication for the past several months, but /do not/ have Call Waiting with Caller ID. Suddenly, just last Wednesday, in fact, my Caller ID box (a CIDCO SA-60A-10 name and number unit) started showing the message "MESSAGE WAITING." Sure enough, my Notify MessagAlert (model 300) light was blinking as well. And when I picked up, there /was/ stutter dial tone. Here's the question: anybody else ever seen this on a standard CIDCO name and number box? I don't think it's ADSI compliant, and I know for a fact that U S WEST hasn't changed their Voice Messaging service (I know the people who work on it). Any suggestions? Dave Stott dstott@worlnet.att.net or dstott@mtg.com ------------------------------ From: dave@compata.compata.com (Dave Close) Subject: Re: And the New Number is ... 323 Date: 9 Feb 1997 21:42:31 -0800 Organization: Network Intensive Mike King writes (quoting a PacTel press release): > That demand is being spurred by several factors, the two primary > being the high-technology explosion of fax machines, pagers, cellular > phones, modems for Internet access, and data communications networks > like ATMs and pay point services, all of which require phone > lines. The other factor is the onset of competition in California's > local telephone service market, with each new provider requiring a > separate supply of telephone numbers. Also according to PacTel, as quoted in the LA Times about two weeks ago, the total number of new telephone lines installed statewide last year was about 650,000. At 14 area codes in the state right now, and allowing for the fact that not all are equally dense, that's not much more than about 50,000 per area code. Or only five or six local exchanges (NXX) per NPA due to additional telephone lines. Clearly, the "explosion" of new phone uses does not account for much of the reason to add new area codes. Yet PacTel, and everyone else, keeps assigning primary blame to that factor. By ignoring the current and =potential= demand for new numbers by competitors, they shift the blame to consumers. I strongly believe that if consumers realized the real culprit, they would demand a different solution than a split. I am not against competition. But consumers should realize that their cost in new stationery, new advertising, lost or disrupted business, etc., etc., is primarily to benefit the new companies. If it weren't for their demand that their numbers not be easily distinguishable from PacBell's, there would be no reason not to solve the problem with an overlay. The CPUC has given in to the competitor's pressure but should be given a good dose of common sense by the public. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Politics is the business of getting dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 power and privilege without dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke ------------------------------ From: baclark@swbell.net (B.A. Clark) Subject: Re: Ordering a "Dedicated" Modem Line Date: 10 Feb 1997 00:10:59 GMT Organization: Southwestern Bell Internet Services Jonathan I. Kamens wrote in article ... > In my case, when I ordered the second line, NYNEX was out of free > pairs in my neighborhood, so rather than pulling a new pair from the > central office, they installed a "miniplexor" on my existing pair and > an identical unit at the central office, to carry two phone lines over > my existing pair. Of course, a 33.6kbps modem does not appreciate > sharing line bandwidth with someone talking on the same wires, so the > performance was not exactly acceptable. I bitched and moaned to NYNEX > and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities about how I paid > for a real line and I expected to receive a real line, and in the end > NYNEX pulled a fresh pair directly from the central office to my > apartment, and that pair has worked just fine ever since. It helped > that I finally got to talk to the outside foreman for the local > office, i.e., to someone who actually understood what I was asking for > and how to fix it. Hate to tell you this, seeing as you are so knowledgeable, but some of those "miniplexor's" are actually digital lines, 128k of data broken into 2 64k channels, with 16k of signaling outside. Surprising similar to ISDN. ------------------------------ From: Nicholas Marino Subject: Can Caller ID Be Provided As DTMF Tones? Date: 10 Feb 1997 03:56:33 GMT I have a rather large (48 line) voice mail installation in Connecticut, and would like to take advantage of Caller ID. Unfortunately, the voice boards I'm using don't recognize Caller ID. They are Dialogic D240/SC boards. Is it possible for SNET (the local telco in CT) to provide Caller ID as DTMF or MF tones? Or, more importantly, is it practical for them to do so on a case-by-case basis? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 15:30:56 -0500 From: David Wigglesworth Subject: Re: Telegraph Questions Bill Ranck (ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu) wrote: > Lee Winson (lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com) wrote: >> Would anyone know if they really did use the word "stop" in telegrams, >> and if so, why did they and when did they stop? > This is just a guess, but the item we Americans refer to as a period, > is called a "stop" or "full stop" by the British. Indeed you are correct. The term "stop" is used to signify what the Americans refer to as a period. Incidently, my father is a Postmaster, in England, and while the Post Office stopped handling telegrams years ago, I can still remeber him getting telegrams passed to him over the phone and then he would then go out and deliver them. You can still send a telegram in England today, but I am not sure why, modern technology seems to have completely surpassed the current system: You call a British Telecom number and they transcribe the message. That message is then sent electronically to the nearest city to the recipient, where it is printed out and put in the first class mail and, you've guessed it, delivered with the morning mail delivery. Definitely a little quirky. David Wigglesworth David_W@pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: Stan Schwartz Subject: Re: CID-on-CW-Beep and Other ADSI-based Features Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 23:48:49 -0500 Mark J. Cuccia wrote: > Also, other 'non-telco' information providers, such as a telephone > mail order center, a transportation company (bus, train, airline), > bank, etc. can have 'ADSI-based' information downloaded to your > unit. You will interface with the buttons on your box, and maybe even > hear voiceprompts, and strings of DTMF will be sent from your CPE to > the (non-telco) ADSI-host to indicate as to what you are > requesting. Using an ADSI screen phone, try calling 516-560-7000. Pretty cool. > BellSouth is providing some of the most customer-friendly service > when I compare it with other LEC's in North America! The "Complete > Choice" package, as well as their introduction of ADSI-based features > is going to be a _great_ benefit to customers like myself who like to > have as many central-office based features as possible, all at an > affordable price! The last year and a half I've spent with BellSouth have been the best experience I've ever had with an LEC. I'm moving 3/4 of a mile down the road (same city, state, and zip code) over an imaginary borderline and I have to switch to Alltel Carolinas for my LEC service. I haven't heard great things about Alltel, but only time will tell. I had Complete Choice on my BellSouth lines, and it was great. Unfortunately the PUC in North Carolina still hasn't approved CID/CW "Call Waiting Deluxe" or Anonymous Call Rejection, so I could take advantage of those under Complete Choice. I'm sure going to miss a customer service department where I could speak to a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Stan P.S.: Anyone who needs to send me "I saw your name in comp.dcom.telecom and thought you'd be interested in the dreck I'm selling" e-mail, please save your keystrokes. I don't do business with junk e-mailers. ------------------------------ From: Dave Keeny Subject: Business Complaints Against Jeff Slayton Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 15:27:50 +0500 Organization: Telecommunications Techniques Corporation Pat, It's seems like a while since there has been much discussion of spam, in its various forms, in the Digest. I thought I'd pass along an excerpt from http://com.primenet.com/spamking/ : > 1/20: Good News! Jeff Slaton is being investigated by the FBI in > response to "lots of complaints" about various activities more related > to shady business practices than the actual spamming. Slaton is almost > at a felony level, and the FBI needs a few more complaints against him > to push him over into that category. If you have any firsthand > complaints about damage or theft that Slaton or IQ-Internet Marketing > has done to you, please call Joe Ayala of Albuquerque FBI at > 505-224-2000. There are far more spammers out there than Slaton, but > it's going to be good to see him finally getting what he deserves. I hope there is substance to this report. BTW, in the ATTITUDE.TXT link of that URL, Slaton credits the Digest with helping him attain Urban Legendhood. Wish he'd mention how much the Digest helped in boosting his 1-800 telephone inquiries. Dave ------------------------------ Subject: New Scam! Unwanted Calls to Moldava Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 13:55:51 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) (I'm a LITTLE bit skeptical of this, just because it reminds me of email virus warnings, but it comes from a reliable source. Tad Cook tad@ssc.com) from www.fraud.org the National Fraud Information Center (1-800-876-7060): Monday, February 4, 1997 PORNO SURPRISE Consumers who visited a pornographic website (www.sexygirls.com) last month got a big surprise on their phone bills. After a few teaser pictures, surfer was told he/she needed to download a special program to view the archived images. That program was actually a viewer with an entire communications suite hidden deep inside (a non-self propogating Trojan Horse). The program disconnected user from his/her ISPs, shut off the volume on the modem if it was computer controlled, and dialed a number in Moldova -- a small, former republic of the Soviet Union wedged in between the Ukraine and Romania. All the while the consumer was on the website, and even if he/she then browsed other sites on the World Wide Web, the Internet access was being provided through the Moldova number, resulting in huge international phone charges! Consumers didn't know that until their phone bills arrived. According to the Toronto Star Business Reporter, there are Canadian reports of bills into the thousands. The Toronto star also reports that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has requested all calls from Canada to that number in Moldova be blocked. Bell Canada is attempting to provide relief for Canadian consumers. US consumers should contact their long distance providers if they find these unexpected charges on their bill. The RCMP has also required the owners of sexygirls.com to place a disclaimer on the site, alerting consumers to the presence of the communications software in the viewer. The disclaimer also tells consumers how to disconnect if they do not wish to use the server in Moldava. In November, Internet Fraud Watch warned consumers concerning the possible dangers of downloading programs over the Internet. Some tips: Don't download unnecessary items. If it's just a piece of razzle-dazzle, don't bother. It will only take up space on your hard drive and perform no useful function. If there's no gain for you from the program, there's no reason to take it. Only download from sites you know and trust. While even a major corporations site can sometimes have a viral infection, a lone programmer might be using an attractive piece of code as a delivery vehicle for his pet virus. Don't download material directly onto a computer network at work. First download it onto a stand alone PC. Test it out. Make sure it doesn't have any malicious side-effects. Check that machine for known viruses. Only at that point should you install the dostand alone PC. Test it out. Make sure of it. If you feel you must download files, keep track of what files you have on your system and what files are created during a program installation. That way you can easily uninstall any program if you find it to be undesirable. This also helps in detecting new installed files that aren't supposed to be there. Remember, your main worry is an executable file (i.e. a program or application). Despite what you hear all over the Internet, you cannot get a virus from a piece of e-mail. If you are having a problem with calls to Moldova, the connection will only be made if you attempt to use the viewer. If you try to use the viewer, shut down your machine after you are finished at that site. If you wish to remove the viewer altogether, the file name is david.exe (for IBM users). If you are in Windows, it should be in your program folder. ------------------------------ Subject: 714 to Split in April, 1998 Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 15:36:10 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Orange County's 714 Area Code To Split As Planned In April 1998; PUC Denies Request To Move Up Timeline For Introduction Of New 949 Area Code LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 1997--The geographic split planned for the 714 area code in Southern California's Orange County will occur in April 1998, instead of six months earlier under a ruling issued today by the California Public Utilities Commission. The Commission turned down a request from most of the telecommunications industry to move up the 714 area code's split date by six months to October 1997. Instead, the 714 area code will be split on April 18, 1998 with the introduction of a new area code -- 949 -- to serve Orange County's southern half. In the same order, the Commission approved the boundaries of the 714-949 area code split, which had been submitted for approval in December 1996. The boundaries were supported by the telecommunications industry and reflect customer input received during three public meetings in June 1996. California Code Administrator Bruce Bennett, who oversees area code relief statewide for the telecommunications industry, said the 714-949 area code split's introduction timeline was the only issue of disagreement among industry planning committee members. `Because of the number crunch in the 714 area code, a significant part of the group wanted the 714 area code split timeline moved up,` Bennett said. `But the Commission apparently felt this would not allow adequate notification time both for consumers and the national telecommunications industry.` As approved, the existing 714 area code -- which serves most of Orange County -- will be split near the county's geographic center. The details are as follows: -- Most existing 714 customers in the northern portion of Orange County will keep the 714 area code. Some of the communities that will remain entirely in the 714 include: Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Orange, Placentia, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster and Yorba Linda. The majority of customers in Santa Ana and Tustin will also keep the 714 area code. The 714 area code will also continue to serve very small portions of Brea, La Mirada, La Palma, Los Alamitos and La Habra. -- Most existing 714 customers in the southern portion of Orange County will receive the new 949 area code. Some of the communities to be served by the 949 include Aliso Viejo, Balboa, Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Santa Ana Heights. Most customers in Irvine will also receive the new 949 area code. Several communities located along the new 714-949 split line border will be served by both area codes, meaning part of the community will stay 714 and part will receive the new 949 code. In Irvine, for instance, most of the city will be served by 949, except a small portion that will stay 714. Other cities that will be served by both area codes include Santa Ana and Tustin, which primarily remain 714 and Costa Mesa, which will be divided in half by the two area codes. The new 949 area code is estimated to last 18 to 22 years, while the reconfigured 714 can accommodate number growth for four to five years. Because there was disagreement in the industry on the most appropriate introduction date, Bennett said position papers were filed with the Commission supporting and opposing the advanced 714 area code split timeline. AT&T, the California Cable Television Association, ICG Access Services and AirTouch Cellular supported acceleration of the timeline while Pacific Bell and GTE opposed the advanced timeline. Pacific Bell said moving up the new area code's introduction may cause customer service disruptions, with adverse impacts possible on 911 service, call completions, billing and repair service among other effects. Pacific Bell also said moving up the schedule would not allow adequate notification to customers of the new 949 area code's revised introduction date. Instead of a 15-month notice required by state law, customers would only receive an 8-month notice. `Public Utilities Code 7930 was enacted because the Legislature was concerned that customers receive adequate notice of a change in their area code, so that they could participate in the planning process, could notify friends and relatives, could order new stationery, signs, brochures and other advertising materials and would not waste large sums in buying stationery and advertising materials containing their old area code,` Pacific Bell said in its petition. Pacific Bell also noted that PBX (private phone system) owners, alarm companies and ISDN customers also must have adequate notice to update their equipment. But the California Cable Television Association and ICG argued that the potential for problems stemming from an accelerated schedule must be weighed against the certainty that new entrants into the local telephone market cannot begin to offer phone service if they do not have sufficient phone numbers. The Commission concluded that, `On balance, the negative effects on customers and the industry resulting from an insufficient implementation timeline for the 714 NPA (area code) relief plan justify keeping the scheduled start date for permissive dialing April 1998.` CONTACT: Pacific Bell, Los Angeles David A. Dickstein, 213/975-4074 http://www.pactel.com http://www.businesswire.com ------------------------------ Subject: California's First Donut-Shaped Area Code Split Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 15:49:51 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) And the New Number is ... 323; Geographic Split Approved For 213 Area Code In Los Angeles LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 1997--California's first donut-shaped geographic area code split was approved today by the state Public Utilities Commission to provide relief for the 213 area code in Los Angeles. The split will create a new area code -- 323 -- to serve part of the region beginning next year. Introduction of the new 323 area code, which will be California's 21st, is planned for June 13, 1998, and is needed to meet the rapidly growing demand for additional phone numbers in the 213 area code. Among the communities currently served all or in part by the 213 area code are: Bell, Belvedere Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, Highland Park, Hollywood, Huntington Park, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Maywood, Montebello, Monterey Park, South Gate, Vernon, Watts and West Hollywood. New Area Code Boundaries Under the 213 area code split, a three-mile diameter region in downtown Los Angeles will keep the 213 area code. All other existing 213 area code customers will receive the new 323 area code. The split will have a donut shape, with the downtown Los Angeles business district located in the center of the donut. `While the donut shape does not conform to the traditional east-west or north-south splitting of NPA (area code) boundaries, it is the only way to achieve an equal division of the 213 NPA into two parts without splitting downtown Los Angeles,` the California Public Utilities Commission wrote in its order approving the geographic split plan. California Code Administrator Bruce Bennett, who oversees area code relief planning statewide for the telecommunications industry, said two options for adding an area code in the 213 were submitted to the Commission in November 1996 following public comment in July 1996. `Because the industry could not reach consensus on one plan, two ultimately approved and an overlay proposal,` Bennett said. In an overlay, a new area code is placed over the existing area code, with both codes sharing the same geographic boundaries. The new area code is generally given to people who request new phone numbers, while existing customers keep the old area code. The Commission issued a policy decision in late December precluding the use of overlays in California for area code relief projects through the year 2000. The Commission said several issues related to competition need to be resolved before overlays may be used. Last month, Pacific Bell asked the Commission to reconsider its area code policy ruling to allow an overlay in the 213 area code. Area Code Portion of Phone Number Impacted, But Not Call Price Bennett said the new area code's introduction will not affect customer's seven-digit phone numbers. However, customers in the new 323 area code will need to change the area code portion of their phone number beginning June, 13, 1998. The introduction of the new area code will have no impact on the price of telephone calls, Bennett added. `Call distance determines call price. What is a local call today will remain a local call regardless of the area code change.` The new 323 area code is estimated to last 11 to 13 years, while the reconfigured 213 area code will have enough numbers to accommodate growth for 5 1/2 to 7 years. Bennett said the new area code is needed to meet the skyrocketing demand for new phone numbers in the Los Angeles area and across the state. `Californians are continuing to use telephone numbers at record rates,` he said. `California has 14 area codes and will need to grow to 26 area codes by the year 2001 to keep pace with customer demand.` In the greater Los Angeles region, 213 is one of four area codes that have been split or that will split by the end of 1998. Last month, the new 562 area code was split off from the 310 area code and now serves southeastern Los Angeles County. The 818 area code in northern Los Angeles County will split off the 626 area code later this year. And in 1998, Orange County's 714 area code will also split off the 949 area code. Bennett said when the new 323 area code is introduced in June 1998, there will be a six-month `permissive` dialing period during which callers can dial either the old or new area code. Things to Remember Change stationery, notify friends and associates Bennett said a new area code impacts consumers and businesses in many ways. Among the things to remember: -- Change stationery, business cards and advertising to reflect the new area code -- Notify friends, relatives, clients and customers of the change -- Reprogram fax machines and auto-dialers -- Customers with cellular phones and pagers should check with their service provider to see if reprogramming is required. Make Sure Equipment Can Accommodate The New Area Code The new 323 area code is part of a series of new-style area codes introduced in North America beginning in 1995 that can be any three digits. This has special implications for certain types of telecommunications equipment, which must be reprogrammed to recognize the new-style area codes, Bennett said. `Historically, area codes always had either a `1` or `0` as the middle digit for identification purposes, but all of those codes are gone. The new number combinations allow area codes to be any three digits from 220 to 999, creating an additional 5 billion phone numbers. `Because of this, it's important for customers to know that PBX (private phone) systems, auto-dialers, alarms and other telecommunications equipment will have to be re-programmed to recognize these new-style area codes,` said Bennett, adding that people should check with their equipment vendors to see if their equipment needs to be reprogrammed. More Area Codes To Come Statewide The 213 area is the latest in a series of regions in California requiring area code relief due to growing demand. That demand is being spurred by several factors, the two primary being the high-technology explosion of fax machines, pagers, cellular phones, modems for Internet access, and data communications networks like ATMs and pay point services, all of which require phone lines. The other factor is the onset of competition in California's local telephone service market, with each new provider requiring a separate supply of telephone numbers. In addition to the 213 area code, California areas which have already been designated as requiring new area codes are: 818 in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valley areas, 619 in the San Diego, Palm Springs and Inland County areas, 415 in the San Francisco Bay area, 916 in Sacramento and Northern California, 510 in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, 714 in Orange County, 408 covering the South Bay Area Peninsula and Central Coast areas, 209 in the Stockton, Modesto and Fresno areas and 805 serving the Ventura County, Santa Barbara County and Bakersfield areas. Plans for the 213 area code were collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group representing more than 30 companies, including Pacific Bell, AT&T, MCI, Sprint, AirTouch, GTE, Pagenet, AT&T Wireless, MFS Communications Co., Teleport Communications Group (TCG), the California Cable Television Association and others. CONTACT: Pacific Bell David A. Dickstein, 213/975-4074 http://www.pacbell.com http://www.pactel.com http://www.businesswire.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #37 *****************************