Area Code Splits
When the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) split the 909 area code last week it brought smiles to not only residents and businesses but to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
The CPUC created a new 951 area code and allowed San Bernardino County including the mountain communities to keep the 909 area code. The new digits have been assigned to most of western Riverside County.
Last July, a resolution authored by Chairman Dennis Hansberger and approved by the board of supervisors registered a formal opposition to a communications industry proposal that they believed would impose a hardship on many of the county's residents.
The industry claimed that the 909 area code would deplete its supply of nine-digit phone numbers by the end of 2003.
Hansberger and Supervisor Paul Biane, who represent the mountain communities from Crestline to Arrowbear, strongly urged the CPUC to not split up San Bernardino County. The supervisors argued successfully that splitting the county would place an economic hardship on businesses and residents by forcing them to reprint stationery and reprogram automatic dialing devices.
The two supervisors also pointed out in their arguments before the CPUC that the area that would have been impacted most by the split has the county's highest concentrations of senior citizens.
"It would be terribly unfair to force our seniors to dial four additional digits to place important local phone calls," Hansberger informed commissioners. "Dialing an area code also creates the impression that a call may be more expensive, so some of those important phone calls might not even be made."
The plan adopted by the CPUC was endorsed by supervisors and includes keeping the Riverside County community of Calimesa in the 909 area code. The commission approved the split on a 3 to 1 vote with Commissioner Loretta Lynch dissenting.
Supervisors argued that it was much more logical to keep Calimesa's 7,272 residents in the 909 area code than to link more than 45,000 San Bernardino County residents with a region they can't even visit on a single major highway."
The "life span" of the 909 area code before phone numbers are exhausted is estimated to be seven years and 12 years for the new 951 area code. The change will take place on July 17, 2004, although consumers can dial either the old or new area code during a grace period that will end on October 30, 2004.
After that date, callers will reach an intercept message instructing them to hang up and redial the number utilizing the 951 area code.
In 1992, the CPUC created the 909 area code from a portion of the 714 area code, which is primarily found in Orange County. The last time the CPUC created a new area code was in 1999 when the 858 area code was created out of the 619 area code that serves San Diego County.
In 1947, California had three of the original 86 area codes nationwide-213, 415 and 916. Today, California has 26 area codes.
TIMETABLE
(Subject to Revision)
Feb. 13, 2004 - Customers must have received notification from carriers of the impending creation of the 951 area code.
July 17, 2004 - Grace period begins for customers who wish to reach someone in the new 951 area code. They will not be required to dial 909 or 951 to reach their party.
Oct. 30, 2004 - An intercept message will instruct callers they must hang up and redial the number using the 951 area code.
Feb. 27, 2005 - Carriers may start assigning seven-digit numbers in the 951 area code. Intercept message terminated.