Press Release

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Starting next spring telephone companies in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia will have to return thousands of unused telephone numbers to a central pool for use by other companies, under a plan outlined today by the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) to curb the proliferation of area codes.

The PUC plans to implement a number pooling trial March 1 in either Pittsburgh’s 412 area code or southeastern Pennsylvania’s 610/484 area codes. Today’s order seeks comments from consumers, the telecommunications industry and other parties on which area code should be chosen for the project as well as who should administer the pooling trial.

"By implementing pooling with other number conservation measures, we will better ensure that telecommunications carriers have adequate numbers without needing to resort to adding new area codes," said PUC Chairman John M. Quain. "And fewer area codes mean less confusion and frustration for consumers."

The pooling trial requires telephone companies to return unused numbers in blocks of 1,000. Companies wanting additional numbers would then be assigned blocks of 1,000 numbers from the pool.

The pooling trial will not have any immediate impact on consumers. But it will use the present area codes more efficiently while ultimately delaying the need to add new area codes in the future.

Until 1997, the state had four area codes – 814, 412, 717 and 215. Since then, five more have been added – 724 in greater Pittsburgh, 570 in northeastern Pa., and 610, 484 and 267 in southeastern Pa. Next year, two more will be activated in southeastern Pennsylvania (445, 835) and one more in greater Pittsburgh (878), bringing the total number to 12. And the telecommunications industry has proposed a thirteenth area code for the 570 area, but the PUC is seeking comments on the plan and has not ruled on it yet.

The rapid proliferation of area codes both here and across the country is a result of telecommunications companies having to operate within an outdated telephone network infrastructure. Currently, companies can receive numbers only in blocks of 10,000 regardless of how many customers will actually receive the numbers. And once the 10,000 numbers are given to a telecommunications carrier they are unavailable for assignment to another carrier.

The blocks are called NXX codes and are identified by the first three digits of a phone number following the area code. Each area code contains about 790 NXX codes and each NXX code may be used only in relatively small geographical areas called rate centers. If a company wants to provide service in another rate center, it must request another NXX code. The numbers that aren’t assigned to customers remain unused and are unavailable for use by other carriers.

When all the NXX codes are assigned from one area code, a new one has to be created.

PUC data estimates that in the 412 area approximately 45 percent of telephone numbers are not being used, while in Philadelphia’s 610/484 area nearly 54 percent remain unassigned.

Quain added that the PUC has been trying to implement this number conservation measure for over three years, beginning with a number conservation order it issued in 1997. But the PUC’s actions have been repeatedly stalled at the federal level.

Several telecommunications companies appealed the PUC’s 1997 order to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which ruled in late 1998 that Pennsylvania did not have the authority to order number conservation. But in the same order the FCC said states that petitioned the agency could receive limited authority to implement various number conservation measures.

The PUC submitted its petition in December 1999 and was granted authority in July 2000. The FCC said Pennsylvania could implement a trial in both 412 and 610 but could do only one at a time. After the first trial is implemented the PUC can start a second one in the other area.

For additional press releases or more information about the PUC, visit our website at http://puc.paonline.com.

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