CCC PPPPP U U CCC N N EEEEE W W W SSS C C P p U U C C NN N E W W W S S C P P U U C N N N E W W W S C PPPPP U U C N N N EEE W W W W SSS C P U U C N N N E WW WW S C C P U U C C N NN E W W S S CCC P UUUU CCC N N EEEEE W W SSS CONTACT: Kyle DeVine June 19, 1996 CPUC - 523 213-897-4225 (C.94-09-058) CPUC ADOPTS PLANS TO SAVE TELEPHONE NUMBERS The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced today measures to conserve telephone numbers in the 310 area code until a new area code is implemented, and if the amount of available numbers gets drastically low, a number assignment priority plan will be used. In October 1997, the new area code, 562, will be fully implemented in the eastern half of the 310 area; the Los Angeles River will be the boundary line between the two areas. Until then, telephone numbers assigned in both areas will be drawn from the 310 number supply. If the demand for telephone numbers remains the same, there will be enough numbers to accommodate growth. However, the area may run out of numbers as early as October 1996, if telephone number use increases. Use could increase when new telecommunications services such as Personal Communication Services become available, if paging services use increases, and if local exchange competition increases significantly. If telephone number growth escalates, telecommunications companies serving the 310 area will implement conservation measures to avoid exhausting the telephone number supply. Measures include: 0 All carriers - cellular, paging companies, local telecommunications companies and their competitors - will return or confirm that they have unused numbers. 0 Carriers, who fail to answer the Commission Advisory Division's questions about telephone number utilization, will not be given more numbers until they do respond. 0 Disconnected telephone numbers will be reused after two months for residential customers, and after nine months or the life of the phonebook - whichever is shorter - for business customers. -more- 0 All numbers will be used, including those with prefixes - the first three digits of the seven-digit number - that are the same as nearby area codes, such as 213, 818, and 714. Usually these prefixes are not used to avoid confusion. An interim freeze and priority number assignment will be used if conservation measures fail. The freeze will occur if the amount of new prefixes drops to less than 58 - as of September 1995, there were 144 available, by May 1, 1996, 101 were available - or the monthly prefix assignment rate equals or exceeds nine a month for three consecutive months. There are 10,000 numbers per prefix. If the freeze occurs, the industry will determine how to allocate the remaining numbers and will use contingency measures including: 0 Numbers will be assigned based on service priority. First to receive numbers will be agencies, businesses or persons involved with protecting public safety and health. Second would be those involved in public service. Third would be quasi-public service. Fourth would be physically handicapped. Fifth would be new businesses or businesses with fewer than average numbers for their type of business. Sixth would be residential customers. Seventh would be all others. 0 Carriers will report all orders for numbers that have been delayed more than 30 days. 0 Consumers will be advised of alternatives to having telephone service, such as using pay phones, getting voice mail, subscribing to a paging or answering service, or "roaming" - subscribing to cellular service in another area and using it in the 310 area. The possibility of running out of numbers before new area codes can be implemented may be a statewide problem. The measures adopted today for the 310 area code will be considered for statewide use and parties involved in the Commission proceeding on Local Competition (R.95-04-043) may comment, by July 15, on these measures. -###-