Press Release

HARRISBURG –- Consumers in the area codes of 717 and 570 won’t have to deal with a new area code for at least several more years thanks to a federal ruling giving the Public Utility Commission (PUC) authority to conserve telephone numbers.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given the PUC authority to implement mandatory thousands-block number pooling in the 717 and 570 area codes. The pooling begins on Feb. 28 for the 570 area code, and on March 14 for 717.

Number pooling requires participating telephone companies to return unused telephone numbers in blocks of 1,000. The numbers then are given to other phone companies that need them.

"We estimate we can conserve approximately 3.4 million telephone numbers in the 717 area code, and 3.7 million telephone numbers in 570 through mandatory thousands-block pooling," said PUC Chairman Glen R. Thomas. "Because of the Commission’s extremely successful experience of number pooling to preserve existing area codes in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas, we believe that pooling in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania will similarly preserve the lives of the 717 and 570 area codes. Number pooling will prevent the addition of new area codes to these areas in the near future, and this is good news for consumers."

Currently companies 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 telephone company, they cannot be assigned to another company. The thousands-block pooling in the 717 and 570 regions forces companies to share the available telephone numbers in blocks of 1,000 instead of 10,000.

PUC data estimates that 56 percent of the 717 telephone numbers, about 3.4 million numbers, and 62 percent of the 570 numbers, about 3.7 million numbers, held by telephone companies have not been assigned to customers.

In the summer of 2001, a majority of the telephone companies agreed that voluntary pooling was needed to lengthen the life of the 570 and 717 area codes. The PUC agreed and issued an order in Aug. 2001 for a voluntary pooling program. Rep. Keith McCall (D-Carbon) petitioned the FCC in June 2001 requesting that the PUC be given authority to institute mandatory thousands-block pooling. The PUC supported this request with comments and reply comments to the FCC. In response, the FCC granted Rep. McCall’s petition and adopted the order on Dec. 21, 2001, making the thousands-block pooling mandatory for all participating companies.

Wireless carriers are not required by the FCC to participate in the pooling until Nov. 24, 2002.

Pennsylvania’s first telephone number pooling trial began in the 610/484 area code in April 2001. More than 40 carriers donated approximately 2.5 million telephone numbers to open the pool. The PUC started a second pooling trial in Pittsburgh’s 412/724/878 area codes in October. These pooling trials successfully allowed telephone companies to delay the need to implement any new area codes.

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.