Area Code Change for 714 Halted

An unpopular plan that would have split the 714 telephone area code was formally suspended by state regulators Thursday.

Under the proposal, new telephone numbers within the existing 714 area would have been given a separate code sometime next year, forcing residents to dial 11 digits for all local calls.

The “overlay” area codes were also earmarked for the 408, 415, 510 and 650 regions in Northern California. But the California Public Utilities Commission suspended those plans on the recommendation of an administrative law judge.

Judge Thomas Pulsifer recommended in November that the commission hold off while new methods of distributing numbers to telephone companies are studied.

The PUC also suspended an overlay area code for the San Bernardino and Riverside communities covered by 909 but reiterated its plan to split the region geographically and add a new code.

Experts argue that the new codes are necessary because of the rapid proliferation of multiple phone lines, pagers, cell phones, automated teller machines, modems and fax machines. The situation is especially acute in California, one of the world’s largest telecommunications markets.

Consumers, however, point out the inconvenience of having to dial the area code for every telephone call.

In September, over the vocal opposition of telecommunications companies, the PUC rescinded an unpopular overlay area code slated for Los Angeles’ 310 region and mandated special number-sharing measures that could delay the need for new codes.

In the 909 region, the PUC said, it will delay the action on boundary lines for the split.