PROVO -- Based on turnout to discuss options for Utah's third telephone area code, few people care whether Salt Lake County alone keeps 801 or the entire Wasatch Front becomes a mixture of 801 and another area code.
But Tuesday's meeting in Provo was just the first of four information sessions to allow Utahns to learn about competing plans and voice their preference. In any case, Utah needs a third area code by later this year to handle increased demand for new telephone numbers, administrators said."Projections now indicate the 801 area code will be exhausted by the first quarter of 2001," said Joseph R. Cocke, a relief planner with the North American Numbering Plan Administration.
A handful of Boy Scouts, three journalists and one or two stray listeners were the only ones to show up at a meeting Tuesday to discuss proposals. Meetings to present options and receive public comment will also be held in Bountiful, Salt Lake City and Ogden (see box for times and locations).
One alternative would make Salt Lake County telephone customers the only holders of the 801 area code. Those currently in the 435 area code, which was created in 1997, would remain. But other areas of the Wasatch Front, including Weber, Davis and Utah counties, would be forced to change to a new area code.
A second option would apply an overlay zone to calling areas currently in the 801 area code, meaning those with that code would keep it while new customers -- although they might be located next door -- would get a different area code.
The former option was recommended by Utah's Public Service Commission, while the latter is preferred by the telecommunications industry and most businesses, Cocke said.
Businesses don't want to incur the expense of changing advertising and business cards while losing customers if the businesses' telephone numbers change, he said.
A representative of US WEST at the meeting said his company doesn't have a preference.
"It's something the people will have to decide," said Gary Harrison, area manager for the region from St. George to Lehi.
When areas outside the Wasatch Front were moved to the 435 area code three years ago, some telephone customers felt slighted, Harrison said. But most have now become accustomed to and actually like the new area code.
Harrison said many Utahns prefer the geographical split because it generally divides communities along traditional lines. The other advantage of the geographical option is that 10-digit dialing is not mandatory, whereas it would be inside any overlay area, regardless of whether or not the call were long-distance.
Comments about the plan may be submitted to the Utah Public Service Commission by telephone at 1-801-530-6716 or by e-mail at psccal@state.ut.us. The commission ultimately will make the decision about what to do, and the call has to be made very soon so new numbers can continue to be issued, officials said.