§ 52.19   Area code relief.

   (a) State commissions may resolve matters involving the introduction of new
   area  codes within their states. Such matters may include, but are not
   limited to: Directing whether area code relief will take the form of a
   geographic  split,  an  overlay  area code, or a boundary realignment;
   establishing new area code boundaries; establishing necessary dates for the
   implementation of area code relief plans; and directing public education
   efforts regarding area code changes.

   (b) State commissions may perform any or all functions related to initiation
   and development of area code relief plans, so long as they act consistently
   with the guidelines enumerated in this part, and subject to paragraph (b)(2)
   of  this  section.  For the purposes of this paragraph, initiation and
   development of area code relief planning encompasses all functions related
   to the implementation of new area codes that were performed by central
   office code administrators prior to February 8, 1996. Such functions may
   include: declaring that the area code relief planning process should begin;
   convening and conducting meetings to which the telecommunications industry
   and the public are invited on area code relief for a particular area code;
   and developing the details of a proposed area code relief plan or plans.

   (1) The entity or entities designated by the Commission to serve as central
   office code administrator(s) shall initiate and develop area code relief
   plans for each area code in each state that has not notified such entity or
   entities, pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section, that the state will
   handle such functions.

   (2) Pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a state commission must
   notify the entity or entities designated by the Commission to serve as
   central  office  code  administrator(s)  for its state that such state
   commission intends to perform matters related to initiation and development
   of area code relief planning efforts in its state. Notification shall be
   written and shall include a description of the specific functions the state
   commission intends to perform. Where the NANP Administrator serves as the
   central office code administrator, such notification must be made within 120
   days of the selection of the NANP Administrator.

   (c) New area codes may be introduced through the use of:

   (1) A geographic area code split, which occurs when the geographic area
   served by an area code in which there are few or no central office codes
   left for assignment is split into two or more geographic parts;

   (2) An area code boundary realignment, which occurs when the boundary lines
   between two adjacent area codes are shifted to allow the transfer of some
   central office codes from an area code for which central office codes remain
   unassigned to an area code for which few or no central office codes are left
   for assignment; or

   (3) An all services area code overlay, which occurs when a new area code is
   introduced to serve the same geographic area as one or more existing area
   code(s), subject to the following conditions:

   (i)  No  all  services area code overlay may be implemented unless all
   numbering resources in the new overlay area code are assigned to those
   entities  requesting  assignment  on  a first-come, first-serve basis,
   regardless  of the identity of, technology used by, or type of service
   provided  by  that  entity, except to the extent that a technology- or
   service-specific  overlay is authorized by the Commission. No group of
   telecommunications carriers shall be excluded from assignment of numbering
   resources in the existing area code, or be assigned such resources only from
   the all services overlay area code, based solely on that group's provision
   of a specific type of telecommunications service or use of a particular
   technology; and

   (ii) No area code overlay may be implemented unless there exists, at the
   time of implementation, mandatory ten-digit dialing for every telephone call
   within and between all area codes in the geographic area covered by the
   overlay area code.

   (4) A technology-specific or service-specific overlay, which occurs when a
   new area code is introduced to serve the same geographic area as one or more
   existing area code(s) and numbering resources in the new area code overlay
   are assigned to a specific technology(ies) or service(s). State commissions
   may not implement a technology-specific or service-specific overlay without
   express authority from the Commission.

   [ 61 FR 47353 , Sept. 6, 1996, as amended at  64 FR 63617 , Nov. 16, 1998;  64 FR 62984 , Nov. 18, 1999;  67 FR 6434 , Feb. 12, 2002]

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Subpart C—Number Portability

   Source:  61 FR 38637 , July 25, 1996, unless otherwise noted. Redesignated at
    61 FR 47353 , Sept. 6, 1996.

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