Wednesday, April 07, 1999
N.Ky. area code may be split
Numbers running low
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some Northern Kentucky residents may be part of a new area code by the year 2000. One proposal — among six alternatives — is to shift the northern tip of Kentucky into Cincinnati's 513 area code.
According to the Kentucky Public Service Commission, the 606 area code — essentially the eastern half of the state, including Northern Kentucky and Lexington — is scheduled to run out of numbers by the fourth quarter of 2000.
“It's important that we do it, because if we don't, custom ers won't have telephones,” said Amanda Hale, spokeswoman for the commission.
The commission announced Tuesday that it will hold five public meetings this month — the first one will be April 15 in Northern Kentucky — to address citizens' concerns about the need for a new area code and where the split might be.
A decision should be made sometime this spring.
Bill Feldman, assistant director of the filings division of the commission, said the advent of cellular phones, pagers and extra lines in homes used for Internet access are reasons the numbers are running out.
“It's a fairly recent phenomenon,” he said.
But the biggest problem is companies that want to provide competitive rates for local exchanges.
“It doesn't matter if they have one customer or if they have 9,999,” Ms. Hale said. “They still have to take con trol of 10,000 lines.”
Although residents might not be using the lines, they are still reserved, she said.
Lockheed Martin, the North American numbering plan administrator, has developed six alternatives that are under consideration.
One is a geographic split along Interstate 64. Another option is a split following Interstate 75, with the local calling area for Lexington and Winchester on the west side.
A boundary realignment that would shift several calling areas in Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati's 513 area code is also an alternative.
New area codes in Kentucky have a familiar ring: This is the second time since 1997 that the commission has considered a new area code.
Historically, Kentucky was divided roughly in half with two area codes — 502 in the west and 606 in the east.
Starting May 1, however, most of western Kentucky will be walled off into the new 270 area. Louisville and surrounding counties will stay in the 502 area code.
People will be able to use both 502 and 270 area codes until Nov. 1, when the new area code becomes mandatory.
Ms. Hale said the commission had a good experience when it held public meetings for the 270 change.
“The one thing that we heard there was that they didn't care where the split was, they just didn't want to use 10 digits to call their neighbor,” she said.
The commission had considered using a 10-digit system while keeping the old area code.
“We are concerned that we do what's best for Kentucky,” she said. “Certainly, no change is easy, but it's certainly something Kentucky can handle.”
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