2010 California Code
Public Utilities Code
Chapter 3.5. New Area Codes

7930.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) The explosive demand for new area codes in California requires
more area codes to be established than was envisioned when this
chapter and Section 2887 were enacted in 1990.
   (b) Because of the advent of competition in the local
telecommunications market, and a decision by the Federal
Communications Commission, new area codes are established by the
North American Numbering Plan Administrator in conjunction with the
commission and members of the telecommunications industry.
   (c) In order to eliminate potential confusion for all the parties
involved in the process of establishing new area codes, the changes
to this chapter enacted in the 1997-98 Regular Session include
identifying "providers" in Section 7931.
   (d) The "providers" specified in Section 7931 include telephone
corporations and resellers that are regulated by the commission, and
paging companies that are not regulated by the commission. It is
necessary to include all of these entities within the term "providers"
in order to effectively meet the needs of the state as they relate
to the establishment of new area codes. The Legislature does not,
however, by including paging companies as "providers" in Section
7931, intend to expand the jurisdiction of the commission over paging
companies beyond the requirements of this chapter. The Legislature
continues to recognize the status of paging companies as unregulated
entities.



7931.  (a) This chapter is applicable to telephone corporations,
including resellers, and to paging companies, hereafter referred to
as providers.
   (b) For purposes of this chapter, "coordinator" means the
"coordinator for California area code relief" as designated by the
North American Numbering Council.
   (c) Whenever the coordinator and providers evaluate the potential
boundaries of a new area code, they shall consider rate area
boundaries, municipal boundaries, communities of interest, and other
appropriate criteria.
   (d) When the coordinator determines the need to establish a new
area code, at least 30 months prior to the projected opening of the
new area code, the coordinator shall provide written notice to the
commission regarding the need to establish the new area code.
   (e) From the date the written notice required by subdivision (d)
is received by the commission all of the following shall be done:
   (1) Within three months all providers shall notify all affected
customers in writing of the need to establish a new area code.
Nothing in this paragraph requires a customer to receive in one bill
more than one notice for each billed number.
   (2) Within nine months the coordinator and the commission staff
shall conduct at least one meeting for representatives of local
jurisdictions to inform them of the proposed area code relief
options, and to afford them the opportunity to discuss the potential
impact of the proposed options. Following the local jurisdiction
meeting, the coordinator and the commission staff shall conduct at
least three public meetings in the affected geographical area. The
public meetings are to inform members of the public about the
proposed area code relief options, and to afford affected customers
an opportunity to discuss the potential impact of the proposed area
code relief options and measures that may be taken to mitigate any
potential disruptions. The commission may order additional public
meetings to be held at any time.
   (3) Within 11 months the coordinator shall file the results of the
area code relief planning process with the commission requesting
commission approval to implement a plan. Anyone may contest the
results of the area code planning process by filing a written protest
with the commission not later than 60 days after the results have
been filed with the commission.
   (f) Unless the commission determines otherwise, at least 12 months
prior to the date adopted by the commission for opening the new area
code, all of the following shall be done:
   (1) The coordinator shall notify the general public of the
specific geographic area to be included in both the old and new area
codes. The notice shall include the schedule for any transitional
dialing periods required by Section 7932.
   (2) Each telephone provider serving the specific geographic area
included in the existing area code shall give written notice to all
its affected customers about the specific geographic area that will
be included in the new area code. The notice shall include the
schedule for any transitional dialing periods required by Section
7932, and the prefixes that will be contained in the new area code.
Nothing in this paragraph requires a customer to receive in one bill
more than one notice for each billed telephone number.
   (g) Within three months prior to the adopted date for opening the
new area code, each provider serving the existing area code shall
give written notice to its affected customers of the specific
geographic boundaries of the new area code. The notice shall include
the schedule for any transitional periods required by Section 7932,
and the prefixes that will be contained in the new area code. Nothing
in this paragraph requires a customer to receive in one bill more
than one notice for each billed number.



7932.  (a) Whenever a provider opens a new area code, it shall do
all of the following:
   (1) If the new area code plan permits seven-digit dialing, provide
for a transitional dialing period during which a number in the new
area code, or a number in the existing area code, may be reached by
dialing either the seven-digit called number, or the area code plus
the seven-digit called number.
   (2) Subsequent to the transitional dialing period provided in
paragraph (1), if prefix codes are available, permit callers to reach
a recorded announcement, without charge, that will inform the caller
of the new area code when the existing area code is dialed.
   (3) If the new area code plan requires 10-digit dialing within an
area code, provide for any transitional dialing period or recorded
announcements the commission may order.
   (b) Paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a) shall no longer be
operative if an authorized federal or state agency orders mandatory
10-digit dialing.



7933.  The rate structure of any call originating in or made to an
area code shall not change with the split of an area code into two or
more area codes, regardless of the number of digits dialed.



7934.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) The number of area codes in this state has more than doubled
since 1991.
   (b) The proliferation of area codes has caused undue hardship on
citizens of this state, who have begun to be forced into new area
codes after years of having the same telephone number.
   (c) That proliferation has substantially increased costs to
businesses, individuals, and government agencies.
   (d) New area codes require the replacement of business cards and
letterhead stationery, and companies must use employee time
contacting their customers to ensure that those customers are able to
continue to reach the affected company.
   (e) The proliferation of area codes has also reduced worker
productivity as employees begin using new and unfamiliar area codes.
   (f) It is the policy of the Legislature that existing area codes
should be preserved for as long as possible.
   (g) It is the further policy of the Legislature that the hardship
currently experienced by telecommunications customers as a result of
the creation of new area codes should be alleviated.
   (h) For all of the reasons stated above, it is necessary for the
commission, as a public agency, to take all possible measures to
protect area codes as a public resource, stop area code
proliferation, and review their existing practice of establishing new
area code regions and the creation of area code overlays.



7935.  (a) The commission shall develop and implement any measures
it determines to be available for telephone corporations that possess
prefixes to efficiently allocate telephone numbers within those
prefixes. The commission shall consider the cost effectiveness of
these measures before requiring implementation. Among the measures
the commission shall consider are rate center consolidation,
allocation of numbers in blocks smaller than 10,000, and unassigned
number porting.
   (b) For the purpose of this section, in accordance with the North
American Numbering Plan, a telephone number consists of a three digit
area code or number plan area (NPA), a three digit prefix or NXX
code, and a four digit line number.


7936.  The commission shall direct the North American Numbering Plan
Administrator to obtain utilization data for any area code for which
a relief plan is proposed, prior to adopting a plan for, or setting
a date for, relief.


7937.  (a) On or before March 1, 2000, the commission shall request
from each telephone corporation doing business in this state that
possesses one or more telephone number prefixes, or a portion
thereof, the specific telephone numbers and the quantities within the
possession of the provider, both in use and not in use. The
commission, for the purpose of this section, shall define the terms
"in use" and "not in use." The commission shall determine the
reporting requirements for the information provided to the commission
pursuant to Section 7940.
   (b) Notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, the
commission shall use the information obtained pursuant to subdivision
(a) and any other information required by the commission, to prepare
and submit to the Legislature, on or before, July 1, 2001, a study
of telecommunications industry use rates.



7938.  The commission shall require, as an interim measure until the
commission develops procedures for number pooling or adopts
utilization standards, that number assignments made by telephone
corporations to their customers shall be made first from prefixes
that are more than 25 percent in use. A telephone corporation may
assign numbers from prefixes with less than 25 percent use only to
the extent necessary, if numbers from prefixes that are more than 25
percent in use are not otherwise available.



7939.  (a) If the commission or an authorized federal agency
establishes a process to ensure that telephone numbers can be
allocated in blocks smaller than 10,000, the commission shall require
that a telephone corporation return to the North American Numbering
Plan Administrator blocks of telephone numbers for reassignment, in a
quantity determined by the commission.
   (b) The commission shall direct the North American Numbering Plan
Administrator to seek the return of blocks of numbers smaller than
10,000 not in use. The commission, for purposes of this section,
shall define "not in use."



7940.  A telephone corporation doing business in this state that
possesses one or more telephone number prefixes, or portions thereof,
shall provide to the commission or its agent, upon request, use
information pertaining to both those prefixes in use and those
prefixes not in use, according to any schedule established by the
commission.



7943.  (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that when the
commission has no reasonable alternative other than to create a new
area code, that the commission do so in a way that creates the least
inconvenience for customers.
   (b) The commission shall request that the Federal Communications
Commission grant authority for the commission to order telephone
corporations to assign telephone numbers dedicated to mobile
telephony service and mobile data service, as defined in Section
224.4, to a separate area code and to permit seven digit dialing
within that technology-specific area code and the underlying
preexisting area code or codes.
   (c) Before approving any new area code, the commission shall first
perform a telephone utilization study and implement all reasonable
telephone number conservation measures.
   (d) If the commission receives the grant of authority set forth in
subdivision (b) and determines that further area code relief is
needed, the commission shall exercise the authority granted to it in
subdivision (b) unless it finds at least one of the following:
   (1) Exercising the authority granted by subdivision (b) would be
more disruptive to the customers where area code relief has been
determined to be necessary.
   (2) Exercising the authority granted by subdivision (b) will not
adequately extend the life of the area code where relief has been
determined to be necessary.
   (e) The commission may not implement any authority granted by the
Federal Communications Commission pursuant to subdivision (b), in a
manner that impairs the ability of a customer to have number
portability.