vision2020
Re: Telephone Overlays
At 10:00 AM 1/29/2001 -0800, Duncan Palmatier wrote:
>All Idahoans must fight tooth and nail to prevent an area code "overlay"
>in the state. The proposal before the Idaho Public Utilities Commission
>is to have area codes be assigned not geographically but by chance,
>depending on when one gets a new phone number.
I think this is certainly worthy of discussion. I don't know that I am
strictly against the overlay system, although Duncan Palmtier raises some
interesting points.
Here are some additional issues: It seems to me that some areas of the
country have had an area code split by geography, and half the people had
to change their area codes on stationery, business cards, etc. Then, just
a few years later, the new area code was split again, and half of those
people were inconvenienced a second time. If it is time to split Idaho
geographically, then we should probably split 3-ways, and not just 2-ways,
to avoid such confusion down the road.
As Duncan points out, we are becoming increasingly "electronic." If we
would have a geographic overlay in Moscow, I would simply program the area
codes into my telephone's speed dial (1-208 and 1-XXX). Then, I would just
hit one button for 1-[area code], and then the remaining 7 keys. Not too
inconvenient (unless you are at a pay phone, or are among the few who don't
have a speed dial option on your phone).
Requiring that an overlay only apply to fax, pager, and cell phone numbers
is unworkable. There is technically no difference between a fax line and a
phone line. It is only the end device that makes the difference. I have
had a fax/Internet line that I sometimes used for voice calls, and later
converted strictly to voice use. And while I generally don't mind
"burdening" utilities with duties that serve the public, I don't think that
Ma Bell (Verizon, whoever) should have to keep track of what number is
being used with which device. It's too irrelevant to their operations, and
maybe I don't want them to know my pager number vs. my fax number. It is a
privacy issue.
Technological "convergence" can further confuse (or clarify!) this
issue. We could increasingly head towards one line to bundle fax, voice,
Internet, email, etc. The ability to talk on the phone to someone while
"pushing" text, images, and sound onto their computer system or other
device simultaneously. You could be able to call someone on the phone by
using their email or IP address. If you say it will never happen to you,
you probably said the same thing about answering machines. And I bet one
of you is ready to jump up and say "Ah Ha! I still don't have an answering
machine!"
> An overlay
>system greatly heightens that sense of alienation. The message is that
>one's neighbors are so far away that they're in another area code.
Hmmm. Maybe we should all get our email through the same ISP, to increase
our feeling of community. I know that those of you who see my email
address as
escape@alt-escape.com
must feel like I'm on another planet! Of course, some of you think so any
way....
About people in Moscow writing 5 digits for phone numbers: That is on the
way out, as the exchange 892- has been introduced in Moscow, and will
become increasingly common. The set of numbers we would have to remember
for area code overlay still remains rather small. Three exchanges for
Moscow, plus two area codes. That's five numbers of three digits
each. And we already know three or four of them. It's really not
unreasonable, in my mind.
So, while it is certainly true that things are becoming more complicated
all the time, I would be willing to try an area code overlay. I'd
certainly want to hear more arguments against overlay before I write a
letter to the Public Utilities Commission.
Bob Hoffmann
846 Mabelle St.
Moscow, ID 83843
Tel: 208 883-0642
Fax: 877 495-2279
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