The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved an area-code overlay in the 315 area-code region serving all or part of 18 counties in Central New York.
A “strong demand” for additional telephone numbers prompted the addition of a new area code in Central New York, the PSC said in a Thursday news release posted on its website.
The 315 area code is located within all or part of 18 counties in Central New York, including Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Ostego, St. Lawrence, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates, the PSC said.
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In making its decision, the PSC determined that the best way to meet the demand was to overlay a new area code over the existing area code.
In an earlier recommended decision, an administrative law judge had concluded that a new area-code overlay was the “best option” for area-code relief in the 315 region, the PSC said.
The PSC staff also recommended the overlay option because it is “easier to implement, less expensive, easier for customers to adapt to, and fairer to all customers,” according to the news release.
In addition, the overlay permits all existing telephone users in the region to keep their entire current phone numbers, including the 315 area code.
The “phenomenal growth” of new technology that requires an individual phone number, such as cell phones, drove the demand for new numbers, the PSC said.
With the overlay method, all customers will need to dial 10 digits (the area code plus the 7-digit number) on calls in their area code, and 1 plus 10 digits for calls to numbers outside their area code.
With its decision, the PSC directed all telephone carriers in the 315 area code region to file within 45 days a plan outlining the steps necessary to implement the overlay.
It includes an 11-month, permissive-dialing period that allows both 7-digit and 10-digit (area code plus 7-digit number) dialing.
After this period, only 10-digit dialing will be allowed; and any misdialed calls will trigger a message directing the caller to dial 10 digits, the PSC said.
Throughout the proceeding, the PSC conducted an extensive public outreach and education program throughout the 315 area-code region to alert the public to the proceeding, and to solicit their concerns and opinions.
The PSC also held “numerous” informational forums and public-statement hearings. The public also provided “many” comments through the PSC’s website, it said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
