Comments about ‘House bill would hang up 10-digit dialing’

People need to deal with technological advances. Save the 100 million and put ten digits in your address book.

Ask someone to program your phone for you.

Who memorizes phone numbers any more.

Move on. It's all about portability.

and this is important legislature stuff, heaven forbid - move on folks, life changes for us all based on time and technologies and especially population

Lots of areas have changed area codes. Lots of areas have changed the prefixes.

What is unreasonable is having neighbors with two different area codes. It doesn't make sense. A new area code is far easier to figure out when determined geographically.

The initial recommendation of overlapping area codes is unreasonable and confusing.

is it really THAT difficult to dial an extra three numbers? Once you program the number into your phone, you don't have to worry about it anyway. Stop fighting so hard for dumb things.

tax money well spent. I'm glad this is an issue considering everything else that is going on. i hope you are catching my sarcasm

I always dial 10 digits anyway. I have the full numbers saved into my phone, touch the name and away it goes. Phone numbers based on geography don't make sense anymore. Let's talk about doing something useful and getting rid of charges for long distance.

Phone numbers are 7 digits for a good reason. Studies showed that most people can remember about 7 digits. Adding another 3 breaks that. Keeping up with technology is good, but technology should work for people, not the other way around. Keep the 7 digits!

I lived in colorado and we had to do that and it is no big problem!

please pass this bill. why should I have to dial 801 for me left side neighbor, a different code for my right side neighbor, and possibly a third for my back-door neighbor?

I'm glad to see a legislator actually sticking up for us.

I don't believe for a second it would cost businesses $75 million. They get new stationery and new business cards frequently anyway, on any whim including a different color for their logo. I think it is absolutely unreasonable to save the poor businessman from one order and make everyone dial 10 digits forever. EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE! That is no excuse. Consider how many little kids have difficulty learning their 7-digit home number for emergency purposes already. The example of older people has already been stated. True, some states have caved in. Others have not.

In 2001 when it looked like we would need a new area code, hearings were held. Quest at that time admitted that the split was better. Now, they decided that they can do whatever they want regardless of hearings, and the "regulators" just bow their heads and say, "Yes, master." If you dial 10 digits already, then you can continue to do so. No problem.

Cell phones automatically add the area code without typing it in-no need to reprogram your phone.

I moved from Northern VA and we dialed 10 digits. It easily becomes habit. And my kids had no problem memorizing their 10 digit phone numbers...and the area code for our cell phones was different then our home phone. Let the change go forward.

I used to live in Ontario, Canada they have to do the same thing there, it takes a couple times to remember that you have to dial the area code first, after that no big deal. I never thought that it was a that big of a problem. People adapt and change is good.

Here's another vote for the 10-digit-overlay rather than a new geographical split. It makes more sense.

Yes cell phones are already programed to add the area code but what about those with land lines. They have to remember and dial the 10 digits each time. I think having the people you call most, the poeple that live around you in the same area code is the way to go.

Not having a cell phone nor the desire to have one I can't understand this mania to carry one around with you. The only reason for instituting this 10 digit number is financial profit from a lot of dummies that have brain damage from using cell phones. There is the confusion of what area code you will be living in and when you call from one area code to antother it becomes a long distance call. Along with the increased long distance fees to call across the valley will be increased tax revenues. The 10 digit dialing is purely a function of long distance calling charges on land lines or cell phones. The new dialing procedures are not a matter of convience or inconvience, it about the money and increase revenue for phone companies. With the 10 digit system you have no way of knowing if you are calling long distance or not. It's apparent though that cell phone owners have no problem with high cost phone service. They can even have their cell phone show them how to find their way home. Technology has divided families and have become just a voice wispering in your ear.

The area code has nothing to do with long distance calling boundaries. In a geographic split, as proposed in 2001, South Davis County would receive the new 385 code, but would retail local calling priviledges to Salt Lake County. I now live in Dallas where we have three overlaid area codes, plus two in Fort Worth and more in surrounding counties. I have different area codes for my home, work, and cell phones. Learning three new numbers is no big deal, and may be easier for some that unlearning the three number prefix that they have used for decades. Utah is growing, and change is coming. Accept it. No, embrace it!

A few of clarifications:
1. Any call that is currently a local call will stay a local call regardless of the area code you need to dial. There will be no change in long distance charges as a result of the overlay.
2. There are approximately twice as many cellphones operating in the 801 area code region as there are land lines.
3. If the split bill passes, and if it is implemented; the 801 area code region will run out of numbers in some central office areas before the split could be implemented.
4. The overlay has already been implemented, right now you can dial 10 digits because all of the required network changes have been made. To do a split at this time will require all of that work to be undone and then all of the work to implement a split would have to be done after that.
5. All of the customer information and government databases in the 801 area will need to be redone if a split occurs. Any business that uses or keeps your phone number would have to redo half of their databases under a split.

John Harvey
PSC Staff

The world is shrinking whether we like it or not (cell phone or no cell phone). Geographic location will have less and less importance, so it makes sense that phone companies are using the overlay method to manage our growth.

And, I might be misunderstanding, but with the overlaid area codes, none of the existing 801 numbers will change - only the new numbers will get assigned the new area code, right? But, if we were to do it geographically, then roughly half (maybe more) of the 801 numbers will have to (unnecessarily) change. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to give out a new number to everyone if I can avoid it!

Debating this bill might be more tolerable if it weren't for a larger, more important matter at hand: state budgeting while in a recession!

While both the overlay or geographic area code options have their drawbacks, doesn't the Legislature have bigger concerns to address right now? The time and taxpayer dollars potentially spent by legislators on stupid issues like this is amazing. Leave the overlay plan in place. People will adjust quickly. They always do. The issue has been studied and determined to be the best option by people who know, not some legislator.