CONTACT: Dianne Dienstein September 3, 1997 CPUC - 98
415-703-2423

CPUC APPROVES 209 AREA CODE SPLIT - NORTH KEEPS 209

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a geographic split of the 209 area code, effective November 14, 1998. The 1.28 million residents in Amador, Calaveras, Merced, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne plus small portions of Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Sacramento, and Santa Clara counties keep the 209 area code.

A new area code, yet to be determined, will be assigned to the 1.34 million residents in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Tulare, King, and small portions of Kern, Inyo, Monterey, and San Benito counties, which currently have the 209 area code.

This geographic split was proposed by an industry team developed to solve the problem of rapid depletion of phone numbers in the 209 area code (expected in 1999), and with consideration of public input obtained during several local jurisdiction and public meetings held in 1996. The team consisted of the Numbering Plan Area Code Relief Coordinator, California Code Administration staff, California Public Utilities Commission representatives from the Telecommunications Division and Office of Ratepayer Advocates, and current and future code holders including local phone companies, long distance phone companies, wireless carriers and competitive local carriers.

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CPUC APPROVES 209 AREA CODE SPLIT - NORTH KEEPS 209 2

The team concluded that this split involves the least overall disruption to the public and is the best balance of affected interests of the six alternatives considered. The primary reason for their proposal to keep the 209 area code for the north was concern about the potential life-threatening consequences of changing the MedicAlert area code. There are 3.8 million people who wear MedicAlert bracelets or neck medallions with the emergency assistance phone number containing the 209 area code. MedicAlert is based in Turlock, in the northern area. The decision to keep the 209 area code for MedicAlert was to avoid the risk of improperly completed phone calls to MedicAlert which could have life-threatening consequences.

In addition, the team believes the population in the northern portion of the 209 area code would experience a greater impact if their area code were to change than if the southern portion's area code changed, because of the high degree of interaction between the northern population and surrounding area codes.

The 209 area code split will be implemented in the following stages:

November 14, 1998 Start of Permissive Dialing

May 15, 1999 Start of Mandatory Dialing

August 21, 1999 End of Mandatory Dialing.

In approving this area code split plan, the Commission believed it met the criteria of: minimizing impact to existing customers in the 209 area code, balancing impact to the telecommunications industry, having an equitable impact on all existing and potential code holders, optimizing life of both the old and new area codes, and having a solution in place prior to exhaustion of phone numbers in the current 209 area code, as well as allowing enough time

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CPUC APPROVES 209 AREA CODE SPLIT - NORTH KEEPS 209 3

for adequate notification of changes to customers. Notice to the public will begin by October 1997.

The County of Fresno has filed a formal complaint with the Commission seeking to have the plan revised to permit the area south of the Mariposa/

Madera County line to retain the 209 area code. The Commission is currently considering that complaint and intends to act on it expeditiously. Depending upon its decision regarding the complaint, the final assignment of the 209 area code to various areas may be modified. The notice that customers will receive about the planned area code split will advise them about Fresno County's pending complaint, and possible modification depending upon the Commission's decision regarding that complaint.