Document text
Ten-digit dialing may hit here soon 541 numbers could run out by 2002 By DAVID PRESZLER Southern Oregonians who snickered when they learned that Portlanders will soon have to dial 10 digits to make local calls may not be laughing long. Numbers in the 541 area code are disappearing much faster than anticipated and will run out by the end of 2002, if not sooner, state officials say. Created in 1995, the 541 code was supposed to suffice until 2010. But demand for cell phones, pagers and Internet access lines is eating numbers at a torrid pace. That means Oregon will need a fourth area code not long after a new 971 code takes effect in the Portland-Salem area this fall. With the new code comes the possibility that residents will have to dial 10 digits -- the area code and the seven-digit number -- for all local calls. "We'll all be doing it eventually," says Phil Nyegaard, telecommunications administrator of the Oregon Public Utility Commission. The number shortage is being felt nationwide, and Nyegaard says 10-digit dialing -- despite the inconvenience -- is likely the only way to meet the demand. "It's probably only a matter of three to four years before the whole country begins 10-digit dialing," he says. "It's really pure math," agrees US West spokesman Tim Robinson. "The raw reality of it is with a seven-digit numbering system there are only so many combinations. Ultimately, you are going to see 10-digit dialing." Before casting stones at the idea of punching in 10 digits, consumers might count the number of phone numbers they're using. Robinson has. He used one number at his home for most of the 26 years he's been with the phone company. Now he and his family use seven: his cell phone, his wife's cell phone, his pager, a dedicated fax line, a line for his teenagers, a Internet access line and the regular phone line. While neither the phone company nor the state has statistics available on the average number of numbers Oregon households use, it's clearly on the rise. "My hunch is that you've got a significant number of people that have at least three lines to their homes," Robinson says, "and that was unheard of." How soon the demand will bring 10-digit local calls to the state remains to be seen. State and federal regulators could add the fourth area code by splitting up the territory covered by 541, like they did when it was created. That would at least delay the need for 10-digit dialing. However, it also would require some customers to accept a new area code for the second time in a decade. Businesses in particular would likely oppose that, since it can confuse customers and requires new stationery. The other option is to add a new code in the current 541 territory. That process, called an "overlay," was the route most recently chosen in the Portland-Salem area. All new numbers get the new code but everyone has to dial 10 digits since the two codes cover the same area. Nyegaard knows neither option will please everyone. "There's no way to bring in a new area code without making some people hopping mad," he says. Before any decision is made, the state will hold public meetings and weigh both options. That process is expected to begin soon. In the meantime, state regulators hope to stretch 541's capacity a bit more. They have asked the Federal Communications Commission, which administers area codes, for more power to control the way numbers are assigned. Phone companies now secure numbers in blocks of 10,000. But Nyegaard says companies don't always use all 10,000, particularly in smaller communities. So the state wants to hand out numbers in blocks of 1,000 instead to make sure numbers don't go to waste. It also wants the power to audit companies to be sure they are using numbers efficiently. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA