Press Release

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today took another step in its efforts to slow the exhaustion of area codes by ordering Core Communications of Annapolis, Maryland, to return approximately 260,000 inactive and unused telephone numbers.

"In the last year, the Commission has ordered the return of more than 1 million unused phone numbers," said PUC Chairman Glen R. Thomas. "This is one of the ways the PUC is slowing the escalating number of new area codes that impact both consumers and businesses."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its efforts to conserve numbers, gave state commissions the authority to reclaim NXX codes that have not been assigned to customers in six months. NXX codes are the first three digits of a phone number following the area code. Each one contains approximately 10,000 phone numbers.

The PUC ordered Core Communications to return numbers in 26 NXX codes in the 724 area code in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The NXX codes to be returned are 249, 257, 262, 303, 317, 383, 418, 427, 441, 480, 505, 517, 521, 536, 581, 655, 660, 665, 698, 707, 788, 893, 937, 952, 953 and 997.

By reclaiming the unused telephone numbers in blocks of 10,000 numbers, the PUC is able to return the blocks to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), which then can reassign the numbers to another telephone company, ensuring the more efficient use of numbers. The NANPA is the FCC unit responsible for distributing area codes.

The rapid proliferation of area codes in Pennsylvania and across the country is a result of telecommunications companies having to operate within an outdated telephone network structure. Companies can receive numbers only in blocks of 10,000 whether they have 100 or 9,000 customers. Once the 10,000 numbers are given to a company, they cannot be assigned to another one.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ensures safe, reliable and reasonably priced electric, natural gas, water, telephone and transportation service for Pennsylvania consumers, by regulating public utilities and by serving as responsible stewards of competition.