State seeks comments on 315 area code

FINGER LAKES—The New York State Public Service Commission has resumed investigating how best to create an additional area code in the 315 area code region, serving all or part of 18 northern and central New York counties, starting this month and is seeking input.
The 315 area includes Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Otsego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Wayne and Yates. The commission started the investigation in December 2007 to evaluate options for making additional telephone numbers available in the 315 area code. The proceeding commenced when North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), the entity designated by the Federal Communications Commission to administer area codes throughout the United States, initially advised the commission and staff of the Department of Public Service that the 315 area code would run out of assignable telephone numbers by the third quarter of 2010.
After considering input from the public and the industry, a recommended decision for an overlay code was issued by the presiding administrative law judge Nov. 26, 2008. An overlay is a new area code superimposed on the existing region, so two different area codes serve the same region. Shortly thereafter, a decision was made to put the proceeding on hold due to a changed exhaust projection from NANPA.
However, in subsequent updates NANPA indicated the area code would not exhaust as quickly as initially predicted and, primarily due to the slowing of the economy, the exhaust date estimated by NANPA had later been extended until the first quarter of 2013. The most recent official NANPA forecasts indicated that the 315 Area Code will be out of assignable central office codes by the first quarter of the 2015 calendar year at the latest. Accordingly, the commission has reinitiated this proceeding in order to have timely and effective relief for the 315 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) in place prior to area code exhaust. Because the commission would benefit from additional information concerning changes in technology or usage patterns that have occurred since the 2008 recommended decision, additional public comment is invited.
To view the decision, locate the case via the commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” and enter 07-C-1486 in the “Search by Case Number” field. After clicking to open the case, the report is associated as Filing No. 78.  Additional information regarding area codes, including the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches, can be obtained under the Telephone Publications section at www.AskPSC.com.
Comments can be submitted via the Internet or in writing. Send comments electronically to Hon. Jeffrey C. Cohen, Acting Secretary, at secretary@dps.ny.gov or by mail or delivery to Acting Secretary Cohen at the Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350. Comments may also be entered directly into the case by locating the case via the home page of the commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, by clicking on “Search,” and entering 07-C-1486 in the “Search by Case Number” field. After clicking to open the case, enter comments in the “Post Comments” section located at the top of the page.
In order to ensure consideration prior to the commission’s vote, comments should be submitted, via any means described above, by July 15, 2013.