Case 07-C-1486- 315 Area Code Relief
Case 07-C-1486- 315 Area Code Relief
**Case Update- May 2013**
The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) has resumed a proceeding (Case 07-C-1486) to determine 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.
The Commission instituted the proceeding in December 2007 to investigate and 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 (RD) for an overlay code was issued by the presiding Administrative Law Judge on November 26, 2008. An overlay is a new area code that is superimposed on the existing region, so that 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 would 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 on the RD is invited.
To view the RD, locate the case via the home page of 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 RD 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 AskPSC.com.
Methods for Commenting on the Case
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Via the Internet or In Writing: Submit 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, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 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 June 29, 2013.
For a copy of the case fact sheet, click here.
Click here, for a copy of the Area Code Questions & Answers sheet.
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Case Background
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 The 315 area code serves all or part of eighteen counties in the northern and central region of New York State, including:
Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Otsego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Wayne and Yates
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On December 12, 2007, the Commission instituted a proceeding (Case 07-C-1486) to evaluate the best options for providing additional numbers in the 315 area code region. A 315 Area Code "Relief Plan" and a Notice Inviting Comments on the plan were issued in early March 2008. The Relief Plan, also referred to as Staff's White Paper, described the options available to implement a new area code. Press releases concerning the proceeding are available using the links on the right hand side of this web page.
The options described in the Relief Plan included an overlay and three different geographic splits. An overlay would superimpose a new area code on the present 315 region while a geographic split would divide the current region into two zones, with one zone retaining the 315 area code and the other zone being assigned a new area code. Click here to see maps of the three geographic splits described in the Relief Plan. Staff's White Paper. A list of frequently asked questions regarding area codes and the 315 relief plan is also available.
Public comment, gathered through a series of 14 public education forums/ public statement hearings, the Internet and the Commission's toll-free opinion line, was in favor of the overlay option. On November 26, 2008, Administrative Law Judge Howard Jack issued a Recommended Decision (RD) that recommended the Commission implement the overlay option, rather than any of three geographic splits that were under consideration in the case. With the overlay, existing customers would retain their current telephone numbers, including area code, while new customers would be issued telephone numbers with a new area code. Once an overlay is introduced, everyone in the region will be required to use the full 11-digit number (1+area code+7 digit number) when making calls.
The RD expressed the view that the overlay is the more fair and equitable option. A geographic split would impose almost all the burden of area code relief on consumers in the zone receiving the new code, while users in the zone retaining the 315 code would bear little burden.
