402 area code numbers won’t run out until 2010
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BY NANCY HICKS / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraskans who live in the eastern part of the state will not have to deal with a new, third area code for at least another two years.
For nine years, the Nebraska Public Service Commission has been pushing back the day Nebraska would have to add a third area code for telephone numbers.
Now, the drop-dead date for adding a third area code has moved to the second quarter of 2010, according to Frank Landis, public service commissioner from Lincoln.
Nebraska was notified in September 1999 that the state would use up its 402 numbers by the end of 2000.
But PSC commissioners and the telephone industry have worked together to conserve the 402 numbers, moving that deadline into the future year by year.
At one point, a PSC study showed that only one-third of the numbers assigned to companies were being used because the numbers were assigned in blocks of 10,000 no matter how big the community, said Commissioner Anne Boyle of Omaha.
Now the numbers are assigned in blocks of 1,000, so most are used before a new block is assigned.
“Nebraska is a leader in number conservation and monitoring of the state’s numbering resources,” Boyle said.
The 2010 date could be extended, too, said Landis. The fact that people can move landline numbers to cell phones takes a little pressure off, and growth has slowed, he said.
When customers finally use all the 402 numbers, the PSC will have to decide how the new area code will work.
The commission could assign a new number to either Lincoln or Omaha, meaning some customers would have to change.
But the commission is likely to use the new prefix for new numbers throughout the current 402 region, Landis said.
Rather than a commissioner mud wrestling contest over which city gets to keep 402, the decision will likely be the overlay.
“So everyone in the eastern region would have to dial 10 digits. But quite frankly people are used to using 10-figure numbers,” Landis said.
With the overlay, no one loses and no one has to change stationery and advertisements, he said.
The 308 area code is not expected to be depleted until the end of 2030.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
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Regardless of what place has to change its code, people are going to whine about losing their old area code anyways, just like they did their county numbered license plates. Might as well just get it over with now, why delay the pain?
Ohh yeah, and can we have something easy for the older folks to remember like 707 or 595? "
Galen wrote on May 7, 2008 12:58 pm:
anrak wrote on May 7, 2008 4:18 pm:
I guess as long as someone old enough to pay the bill "all the kiddies" can have as many as they want. I have 2 "kiddies" and all 4 of us have our own. We dropped our home phone, lucky for us I guess! did not realize there was a limit on how many phones 1 can "own"
Jeez.... some peoples mentality!!! "
Hey Dano wrote on May 7, 2008 8:14 pm:
Chris wrote on May 8, 2008 4:16 pm:
The article states the likely implementation of a new area code will be an overlay, not one geographic area changing. That means everyone in the 402 area code will have to dial 10 digits when making a call. "