Recent releases
April 27, 2009
Residential and business customers served by the 760 area code in California should begin preparing for the introduction of the new 442 area code overlay, members of the 760/442 Area Code Overlay Public Education Program Task Force said today (April 27, 2009). The Task Force, comprised of landline and wireless telecommunications providers in California, including TDS Telecom®, reminds consumers that the 442 area code is being added, or “overlaid”, to the 760 region to ensure businesses and consumers have access to telephone numbers from their carrier of choice.
On May 2, 2009, consumers and businesses with a 760 area code telephone number will need to begin dialing 1+ area code + seven digit telephone number when making all local calls. The new dialing procedure will become mandatory for all residential and business consumers on October 24, 2009.
Beginning November 21, 2009, the new 442 area code may be assigned to those who request a new telephone number or an additional telephone line, as well as any available numbers in the 760 area code.
Residents and businesses with telephone numbers within the 760 area code will retain their current telephone number(s) and area code. Consumers requesting new or additional telephone numbers (or telecommunications services) may be assigned telephone numbers with either the new 442 area code or the original 760 area code, depending on their providers’ telephone number inventory. Consumers will still be able to dial three digits to reach 911, 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, and 811.
To prepare for the area code overlay, Calif. residents and businesses in the 760 region should:
- Begin dialing 1 + area code + telephone number for all calls.
- Notify alarm service providers.
- Reprogram equipment or features including automatic dialers, speed-dialing, call forwarding, modems for computer or internet dial-up access, etc.
- Advise family, friends, and business contacts to dial 1 + area code + telephone number for all calls.
- Ensure that security door and gate systems are reprogrammed to dial 1 + area code + telephone number.
- Test telephone equipment to determine if it can dial and receive 1 + area code + telephone number. Questions regarding changes in telephone equipment should be directed to telephone equipment vendors.
- Update items such as stationary, checks, business cards, advertisements, promotional items, brochures, Internet web pages, and catalogs to reflect the 1 + area code + telephone number change.
Over the past 10 years, telecommunications carriers have successfully implemented more than 50 area code overlays throughout the United States to meet the growing demand for more telephone numbers.
For more information, consumers and businesses should contact their telephone service provider or visit http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/760areacode. You can also contact the California Public Utilities Commission’s News and Public Information Office at (415) 703-1366 or news@cpuc.ca.gov.
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TDS Telecommunications Corp. markets communication services to business and residential customers in 30 states through its brands TDS Telecom® and TDS Metrocom®. With nearly 1.2 million access line equivalents in service, TDS Telecommunications Corp. connects customers to phone, broadband, and digital television service in hundreds of rural, suburban, and metropolitan communities. TDS Telecommunications Corp. is the eighth-largest wire line company in the nation; employing approximately 2,730 people. The company is headquartered in Madison, Wis. Visit www.tdstelecom.com and www.tdsbusiness.com for more information.
TDS Telecommunications Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Telephone and Data Systems™ is a Fortune 500® company that provides wireless, local and long-distance telephone, and broadband services to nearly 7.4 million customers in 36 states, through TDS Telecommunications Corp. and U.S. Cellular®, its 81-percent owned wireless subsidiary. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, Telephone and Data Systems employed 12,500 full-time equivalent employees as of Dec. 31, 2008. Telephone and Data Systems is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TDS, TDS.S). For more information, visit www.teldta.com.
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