New ‘Overlay’ Area Code Likely in Orange County

State regulators today are expected to approve plans to assign a second area code to serve Orange County’s 714 region by early 2001 or sooner--a move that will ease a looming phone number shortage but will result in additional dialing for callers within the code’s boundaries.

If approved, the 714 territory will become the second region to be assigned an “overlay,” which means two codes will serve the same geographic area.

On April 17, a new 424 area code becomes active within the 310 code boundaries. Callers in the overlay zone will become the first in the state to shift to 11-digit dialing--1 + area code + phone number--on all calls, even in the same neighborhood.

The rapid-fire usage of phone numbers is the result of spiraling demand for more lines--for pagers, wireless phones, computers, fax machines and other devices. But demand is not the only culprit: The phone industry’s own practices are grossly inefficient and lead to some companies’ hoarding numbers, critics say.

Regulators favor the overlay method for the 714 region largely because Orange County went through a disruptive split just a year ago. Last April, the 949 code was assigned to communities in the southern portion of the county. That change became final in October.

Under the overlay plan, a new area code would be added to the 714 region in late 2000, with the change becoming final in February 2001. Once 714 runs out of numbers, new numbers will be issued using the new area code.

But regulators are considering implementing the change sooner to avoid running out of numbers before the new code is established. The new code has not yet been selected.

The California Public Utilities Commission, which must approve area code plans for the state, today will also review a proposal to split the fast-growing Inland Empire’s 909 territory.

That plan, however, has sparked objections from the Riverside County city of Moreno Valley, which would pick up the same code as neighboring San Bernardino County.

Because of that objection, regulators may choose an alternate plan or delay a decision. The current proposal calls for dividing the existing region into eastern and western portions, with the eastern section getting a new area code by sometime in 2000. The western portion would keep 909 and get an overlay code in late 2000.

With any of the code changes, the cost of phone calls--which are based on time of day, distance and duration--will not change. In addition, commonly used three-digit numbers--such as 411 and 911--would not be affected.

The code proposals--the latest in a long string of area code changes in the state--have already hit a nerve among businesses and consumers.

California has 24 area codes, more than any other state. There are 13 area codes serving Southern California, including the new 424.

Regulators are already considering options for adding a new code to the 818 territory. In addition, public meetings are scheduled for April 7 in Long Beach and Downey and on April 8 in Whittier to discuss a new code for the 562 territory.

In all but a few cases, regulators have sought to ease the crunch using a method called a geographic split--separating a portion of the existing code’s territory and assigning a new area code there.

With each change, businesses and residents have had to accommodate the switch by reprinting stationery and business cards, adjusting fax machines and changing computer modems.

The so-called overlay approach is designed to avoid some of those hassles--as well as the contentious process of drawing new boundaries--by letting all customers keep their existing phone numbers.

But that method forces customers to make a fundamental shift in the way they dial nearby numbers. Once two area codes serve the same territory, all calls will require that callers dial the 1 and the full number--even when calling a neighbor.

For fast-growing businesses, an overlay plan could mean that additional lines would come with different area codes--a potentially costly and confusing situation.

State Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) recently introduced a bill that would slap a moratorium on new area codes until state regulators come up with a plan to slow down the onslaught.

For years, the phone industry has been weighing steps that would reduce the need for new codes, but neither the Federal Communications Commission nor state regulators have acted.

“There are things that can be done,” Knox said. “And between now and June, we’re going to make more progress on this than you’ve heard in a long, long time.”