State Reduces O.C.’s Wait for Area Code
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Orange County’s northern section will get a second area code by the middle of next year under a stepped-up plan approved Thursday by state regulators.
The ruling moves up the new code’s introduction by several months. In the original proposal, the new code was to begin in October 2000, with numbers using the new code to be issued after February 2001. Regulators opted for the quicker schedule to bring faster relief to the region’s number crunch.
The plan, as expected, calls for adding a new area code for use within the same geographic boundaries as the existing 714 code. That method, known as an area code overlay, will require callers in the region to dial the full number--including 1 and the area code--on all calls, even those within the same area code.
To get used to the extra dialing, residents and businesses in the 714 area may begin using 11-digit dialing Oct. 7. On July 7, 2000, all calls in what is now the 714 area must be dialed using the full number.
State regulators on Thursday also approved a two-step area code plan for the region covered by 909, which currently serves the fast-growing Inland Empire.
Bowing to objections from the city of Moreno Valley, the state Public Utilities Commission approved a new 909 plan that would keep Moreno Valley in the same area code as nearby Riverside. An earlier proposal would have split the two cities and put Moreno Valley in the same area code as San Bernardino.
Area code officials will select the new area code numbers for 714 and 909 by June at the latest.
During the PUC’s meeting Thursday, Commissioner Henry Duque sought to assure Californians that the state is trying to find ways to slow the onslaught of area code changes. California has the most area codes in the nation, with 24.
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