Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Sara Norgon There are currently six proposed ways of splitting the area that now utilizes the 715 area code.

As the state Legislature finds itself entangled with budget deadlines and other pieces of legislation, senior Mark Olson believes the issue surrounding the 715 area code is one that should be decided quickly.

"It's pretty straight forward … obviously, changing the area code is going to inconvenience somebody," Olson said. "But there are bigger issues to be addressed for the people of Wisconsin, including the 20,000 children in western Wisconsin alone that don't have any health insurance."

Because of the rising number of cell phone and LAN line phones in the 715 area code region, Public Service Commission member Joyce Dingman said all numbers now holding the 715 code will be used up by 2009.

On Sept. 17, Dingman, another member of the PSC and Joe Cocke, a member of Neustar and the North American Numbering Plan Association, hosted a public hearing in Eau Claire to listen to public concerns on the matter.

Dingman said the PSC has six viable options to choose from, but members of the communications industry, including Neustar and NANPA, have recommended two of them.

"A geographical split would mean the existing 715 area would be divided," Cocke said. "In an overlay, the existing members of the 715 area would keep their codes, but new members or members asking for additional lines would be given a new code."

With an overlay, users would be required to always dial 10 digits for all calls local and elsewhere instead of the typical seven numbers for local calls, Cocke said, adding the addition of the three extra digits would not make local calls toll or long distance.

"(A split and an overlay) would require a permissive period so users could make the transition of area codes easier," he said, adding people could dial any numbers they wanted with the new or old area code and it would go through.

But Cocke said once the period ends, people would have to get used to their respective codes.

"After a certain point, people dialing with the old area code will get a recorded message saying they should hang up and dial the correct code," he said.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools