PUCO To Hold Public Hearing in Franklin On 513 to 937 Area Code Reassignment Request & 513 Relief Options

	NEWS RELEASE
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio 180 E. Broad Street Columbus, Ohio 43215-3793	FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Beth Gianforcaro, PUCO Media Office (614) 466-7750
Alan R. Schriber, Chairman	WebSite: http://www.puc.state.oh.us/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2000
00-074

PUCO To Hold Public Hearing in Franklin About
The 513 to 937 Area Code Reassignment Request
And 513 Area Code Exhaust Options

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) today announced it will hold a local public hearing on Monday, August 14, 2000, in Franklin, Ohio to gather input on:

•
Options developed by the 513 area code planning team about how a new area code would be implemented; and

•
A reassignment request of the City of Springboro, including all areas served by the Franklin Exchange from the 513 area code to the 937 area code. The Franklin Exchange includes the cities of Franklin, Springboro, the Village of Carlisle and Clearcreek and Franklin Townships.

PUCO PUBLIC HEARING

August 14, 2000
Franklin, Ohio

Franklin Municipal Building,
Council Chambers,
35 East Fourth Street,
7 p.m.

The public hearing will be held at the Franklin Municipal Building, Council Chambers, 35 East Fourth Street, Franklin, at 7 p.m. In June, the PUCO held public hearings in Cincinnati and West Chester to gather input about these proposals.

According to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, the 513 area code is now projected to run out of numbers in the third quarter of 2001. The 513 area code currently serves at least portions of the following nine counties: Hamilton, Clermont, Brown, Clinton, Greene, Montgomery, Warren, Butler, and Preble.

A PUCO hearing examiner will preside over the public hearing. Sworn, public testimony concerning the 513 area code will be included as part of the record in the case to be considered by the five-member Commission. The PUCO is expected to act on the 513 area code matter by September 2000.

The planning team is made up of representatives from Ohio telephone companies and the PUCO staff. In December 1999, the 513 Area Code Planning Team recommended two plans for PUCO consideration:

1) An overlay plan -- With an overlay plan, the new area code is layered on top of the preexisting area code in the same geographic area. An overlay of a new area code will make it mandatory to dial 10 digits for local calls; or

2) A geographic split plan, known as the "Cincinnati Rate Center Plan" -- A geographic split is a plan that separates the existing area code into two distinct but smaller geographic areas. One area would be assigned the new area code and one would retain the existing 513 area code. With their geographic split proposal, the Planning Team did not make recommendations about which side of the geographic split plan should receive a new area code, and which side would retain the existing 513 area code. The "Cincinnati Rate Center Plan" geographically splits the Cincinnati "rate center" from the rest of the existing 513 area code. A rate center is a geographic area that determines the rating for local or long distance calls. The Cincinnati rate center covers most of Hamilton County.

The City of Springboro has expressed a desire to be assigned to the 937 area code rather than its current 513 area code. Springboro stated that its strong community of interest with Dayton is the basis of its request. The PUCO has recognized that Springboro's request is tangentially related to any new boundaries which would develop in the context of this case so it is willing to consider the city's request. The Commission also recognizes that pursuant to Springboro's request the entire Franklin exchange, would be reassigned to the 937 area code.

Based on information submitted to PUCO by Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company (CBT) in December 1999, the Commission issued an entry in March saying the 513 area code exhaust matter should be delayed until further evidence that number relief is warranted in the 513 area code. However, on May 8, without input from the PUCO, NANPA notified the Commission that the 513 area code was in jeopardy due to the recent unexpected high demand for new telephone numbers from telephone companies in the 513 area code. "Jeopardy" was declared due to the determination that the area code will run out of numbers by the third quarter of 2001.

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99-668-TP-COI

•	Options developed by the 513 area code planning team about how a new area code would be implemented; and
•	A reassignment request of the City of Springboro, including all areas served by the Franklin Exchange from the 513 area code to the 937 area code. The Franklin Exchange includes the cities of Franklin, Springboro, the Village of Carlisle and Clearcreek and Franklin Townships.