STOP THE AREA CODE OVERLAY FLIER

STOP THE AREA CODE OVERLAY!

Unless there is a change in policy very soon, residents of Morgan, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties will be forced to dial ten digits for all local calls beginning next March. This is because the Utah Public Service Commission has imposed an overlay of a new area code upon the same five-county area that now uses the 801 area code. Not only will we have to dial ten digits for local calls, but, if the overlay is allowed to go into effect, we will have a mixture of area codes in our neighborhoods, in our businesses, and even in our homes, when new lines are added. We will have to keep track of which neighbors have the old area code and which neighbors have the new area code.

Having to keep track of who has which area code and having to dial ten digits for every local call will bring confusion and frustration into our lives that we don’t need. It is completely unnecessary. The other option that the Public Service Commission has is to implement the new area code using the Split method. Under the split method, Salt Lake County will retain the 801 area code and Morgan, Davis, Weber, and Utah counties will be given a new area code. Only the area code will change. The original 7 digits will remain the same. This way we will all retain seven-digit dialing for local calls and we won’t have to worry about two area codes being used throughout the county we live in. There is logic to an area code split. There is nothing logical or rational about an overlay.

We must take action by contacting our state legislators and letting them know that we strongly oppose the overlay and prefer the split method. For more information, including the names and email addresses of the legislators in the five-county area, look at our blog: http://stoptheareacodeoverlay.blogspot.com.

You are also urged to sign our electronic petition at http://stacom.epetitions.net.

Thank you for your support