OneidaTelephone

AREA CODE OVERLAY

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the new 680 area code was added to the area served by 315. The new 680 area code serves the same geographic area currently served by the existing 315 area code which covers the west-central portion of New York, serving communities such as Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown. This is known as an area code overlay. What is an area code overlay? An overlay is the addition of another area code (680) to the same geographic region as an existing area code (315). An overlay does not require customers to change their existing area code. How does this affect telephone directory publishers? Telephone Directories covering the 315 area code region must add the new 680 area code information and alert customers in the 315 area code about the new 10-digit local dialing procedure. What will be the new dialing procedure?

To complete local calls, the new dialing procedure requires callers to dial the area code + telephone number. This means that all calls in the 315 area code that were dialed with seven digits are now dialed using ten digits (area code + telephone number). The same dialing procedure will apply to telephone numbers assigned to the new 680 area code. When will the change begin? Effective March 12, 2016, callers began using the new dialing procedure (area code + telephone number) whenever local calls are placed from the 315 area code.

Beginning February 11, 2017, callers used the new dialing procedure, as described above, for all local calls. After this date, if callers did not use the new dialing procedures, the call would not be completed and a recording would instruct the caller to hang up and dial again.

Beginning March 11, 2017, new telephone lines or services could be assigned numbers using the new 680 area code.

What will remain the same?

• Your customer’s telephone number, including current area code, did not change. • The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services did not change due to the overlay. • What is a local call now remained a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed. • Callers continued to dial 1 + area code + telephone number for all calls to other area codes (outside of 315 and 680). • Callers can still dial just three digits to reach 911. • If 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 or 811 are currently available in the caller’s community, these codes can still be dialed with just three digits.

Customers with questions about the dialing procedure, please call Oneida County Telephone at 315-865-5201, or they can visit the New York Public Ser vice Commission’s website http://www.dps.ny.gov/.

9

Holland Patent, NY