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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Keith McCall |
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McCall: Get your voice heard about potential changes to the 570 area code
LANSFORD, Jan. 28 – State Rep. Keith McCall said people concerned about the impact of potential changes to the 570 area code can have their voices heard at a public hearing to be hosted by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Tuesday.
The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 at Memorial Hall, 101 E. 10th St. in Jim Thorpe.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearing and provide comments, which will become part of the final record and help the PUC make a decision on which plan to put into effect.
The PUC and Office of Consumer Advocate suggest that people wishing to make comments prepare their remarks beforehand, bring copies of any prepared remarks and be ready to answer questions about specific aspects of comments. More information is available from the Office of Consumer Advocate online at www.oca.state.pa.us.
According to the PUC, a petition requesting changes to the 570 area code was filed in 2009, with a recommendation that the new code be overlaid onto the existing 570 area when numbers ran out in 2011. At that time, all customers receiving a new telephone number would have a new area code and everyone in the 570 and new area code region would have to dial 10 digits for all calls, including local calls.
The other alternative, a geographic split, would mean a portion of the 570 area code region would be reassigned a new area code and phone numbers. Various alternatives have been presented to divide the region. Depending upon the alternative selected, this could mean that Carbon County residents would be impacted.
All plans will be explained and discussed at Tuesday’s public hearing.
Regardless of what alternative is chosen for the 570 region, residents would not be impacted until telephone numbers are exhausted. The industry has recommended a 13-month implementation period, which includes a public education component.
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