Talking Points About the New Area Code

In discussing the new area code with a lot of people, I have found that some are confused as to what the differences are between the overlay and the split and aren't really sure why the split is so superior. Below are some suggested talking points that may be helpful when explaining the advantages of the split as compared to the overlay:

1. With an overlay, a new area code is superimposed over the same geographical area that already uses an existing area code. In our case, the 385 area code would be superimposed over the same five-county area that now uses the 801 area code. This would result in a mixture of area codes in our neighborhoods, business offices, and even in our homes if we should add a new line for an additional telephone or a fax machine. This mixing of two area codes would cause confusion and frustration when trying to determine which one to use for a given call.

2. Because there would be two area codes throughout this area, we would be forced to dial ten digits for every local call, even to new neighbors down the street. This would be another source of delay and frustration that we simply don't need and is completely unnecessary.

3. There is logic to a split. Area codes will define specific areas and there will be no mixing of area codes. In our case, Salt Lake County will retain the 801 area code. We will then know that a call to an 801 area code is definitely going to Salt Lake County and nowhere else. A call to a 385 number will be to Morgan, Weber, Davis, or Utah Counties. There is nothing logical or rational about an overlay.

4. If we implement an overlay now, the only relief available when a new area code is needed in the future is another overlay. This would mean having to deal with THREE area codes in the same geographical area. How totally confusing this would be.

5. With the split method, the area code is virtually invisible. In a given county, local calls will be made by dialing only seven digits. The area code will not even be required. It therefore won't matter that the area code has changed. It will not be needed when dialing locally, just as is now the case.

6. With a split, only the area code will change in the four counties. The original seven-digit telephone number will remain the same. This was specifically stated by the Chairman of the Public Service Commission in his remarks to the Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee. In some of their literature, the telephone companies have made it sound like the entire telephone number might change which is definitely not true.

7. This issue has nothing to do with technology. Modern technology is just as available to implement the new area code using a split as it is to implement the overlay. This is about, very simply, a powerful special interest, in this case the telephone companies, trying to impose the burden of that which is in its best interest upon private citizens, even their own customers.

8. You may meet some people who say they have moved to Utah from an area that has an overlay and that they "got used to it." Being able to "get used to it" is no excuse for imposing a burden on the consumers that we don't want in the first place. We have friends who live in the Denver area where there is an overlay and they hate it. We have family members who lived in the Atlanta area where there is an overlay and they also hated the overlay.

9. The telephone companies say the trend across the country is toward the overlay method. Statistics show that there are many splits going in around the country as well. Furthermore, if the trend is toward the overlay, it is not because this is what consumers want. It is because the telephone companies and the various public utility and public service commissions are imposing the overlay upon unsuspecting citizens without informing them of the options available and the ramifications of each (as is the case here in Utah). It is a fact that in some areas, citizens have fought against the overlay and have won.

10. Some will give the argument that with the split method, businesses in the four counties that get the new area code will have to undergo the expense of reprinting their stationery, advertisements, and business cards. First of all, this is not necessarily true. Businesses that do not print the area code on their literature, will not have to reprint anything. I note that some businesses do not print the area code on calendars, business cards, etc. In my telephone book, there are many businesses whose ads in the yellow pages do not show an area code with the telephone number. None of these, then, will have to be changed. If reprinting of stationery and business cards is necessary, it is certainly not that expensive and businesses have to reprint their literature from time to time anyway when they run out. It is a normal cost of doing business.