501 Will ?Shrink To Fit?

Arkansas has grown out of its 501’s again. Central and Northwest Arkansas have stretched the telecommunication seams to the limit. This summer, the Public Service Commission will solve the problem by assigning an additional, yet-unknown area code to the current 501 region.

The PSC and several telecommunication administrators have developed five alternatives to relieve the area code congestion. Of these, three are geographic splits that would separate Northwest Arkansas and central Arkansas into two separate calling regions.

A fourth option offers a distributed overlay that would require everyone in the 501 region to punch 10 digits for every call, even local ones. The fifth alternative only poses a temporary fix.

Immediately, the lines were drawn. Everyone wants to keep their current area code, and no one — well, except for the telephone companies — wants to push any more buttons on the phone pad than necessary.

Basically, the issue centers around inconvenience rather than cost.

Telephone companies will begin planning the transition once the PSC makes a decision. For 3-6 months, people will be able to dial phone numbers using the new and old area codes. A temporary recording will also direct callers to the phone number’s new area code.

With planning, businesses won’t face any major charges for changing their area code, said Brinton Ramoly, the PSC telecommunications manager.

Most companies tend to reorder business cards and letterhead every 1-3 months, said Julie Rhodes, vice president of Arcom Printing, Copying & Graphics in Fayetteville.

In 1997, three-quarters of Arkansas changed from the 501 area code to an 870 prefix. Murphy Oil Corp. in El Dorado was one of the firms that made the switch.

“It was pretty much a nonevent for us,” said Betty LeBrescu, Murphy’s public relations manager. She said the cost totaled about $2,400.

The company changed some stationery and stuffed an announcement of the prefix change inside its mailings.

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro also switched to the new code.

“I don’t believe we incurred any significant printing cost as a result of the area code change,” said Tom Moore, the ASU director of university communications.

Only minimal costs were directly related to the change, Moore said, and those stemmed from the labor of reprogramming some equipment.

If the PSC gives Northwest Arkansas a new code, the University of Arkansas expects a smooth transition.

“I don’t know of any additional cost that will come from the area code change,” said Don Pederson, the UA vice chancellor of finance and administration.

Joe Papczynski of Advanced Telecommunications Group Inc. in Springdale said the area could easily handle a new prefix.

Depending on which area code is assigned, some restricted systems would need an adjustment to accept the new code.

Papczynski said the adjustment would cost $70-$75 per location.

For instance, many phone systems don’t allow “1-900” calls. If the new area code began with the number nine, the company would need to reprogram its phones to accept the new prefix.

Even a large company like Tyson Foods Inc. would only need a couple of hours to update the system, Papczynski said.

Overlay Overrated

Three appointed commissioners in Little Rock — Lavenski Smith, Betty Dickey and Sandra Hochstetter — will pick the plan for Arkansas. If one of the three geographic splits is chosen, the commission will also decide which region will keep the coveted 501 code.

A decision is expected in early July, Ramoly said, and the remaining 501 numbers will only last through the first quarter of 2002.

To get the public’s opinion on the impending change, the PSC arranged five regional hearings. The first four meetings — hosted in Russellville, Hot Springs, Searcy and Fort Smith — drew tepid attendance. Fewer than 10 people showed up at each event.

On June 20, Northwest Arkansas got its chance to sound off, and about 20 people attended the meeting.

“The outcome from that meeting will influence the commissioners,” Ramoly said.

Rogers/Lowell, Fayetteville and Springdale Chamber representatives were in attendence.

Geographic split No. 2 was the most popular among Northwest Arkansans. Of the three regional divides, it promises 15 years of relief for Northwest Arkansas and six years for central Arkansas.

The Chambers of Commerce all supported the option. Alhough 464 (HOG) was requested for the new area code, Ramoly said, the PSC can’t choose the code.

Ramoly said the PSC general staff supports geographical split No. 1. It projects 13 years of relief for Northwest Arkansas and seven years for central. Ramoly noted that the general staff’s position does not reflect the official position of the commissioners.

The PSC staff opposes the third option because it separates Jones Mills and Hot Springs — a division Ramoly likened to dividing Fayetteville from Springdale.

If a geographical split is chosen, the PSC general staff wants Little Rock to keep the 501 code because “it is the governmental hub of the state,” Ramoly said.

That’s exactly why state Rep. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, thinks Little Rock should be the region to receive the new code. He said the government would handle the change more efficiently than smaller businesses.

“I don’t think it ought to be a political power play,” Hendren said.

Northwest Arkansans at the meeting repeatedly dogged the overlay option, despite the fact that the 10-digit dialing alternative pledges nine years of relief to everyone in the 501 area.

Called a distributed overlay, the plan would leave the present phone lines alone, and new lines would be assigned the new area code.

As a result, existing businesses that needed additional lines would receive the new area code prefix. One building could house two area codes.

Papczynski said Texas already uses 10-digit dialing for every call, and people could get used to it.

Initially, local-service providers Southwestern Bell and Alltel publicly supported the distributed overlay.

Ramoly said control of the 501 numbers could help customer retention.

Local-line providers use blocks of numbers, and in the case of a general overlay, they could offer some companies the option of keeping only 501 numbers.

New providers that move into the area could only assign numbers with the new area code, Ramoly said, and that might be enough to keep some businesses from changing providers.

However, Alltel Communications has stopped cheering for any one alternative.

“We’re not going to push hard for any alternative over another,” said Alltel spokesman Andrew Moreau. “We’re open-minded about the process.”

Southwestern Bell continues to support the general overlay and 10-digit dialing.

If the distributed overlay plan is selected, 911 emergency centers will incur two new expenses.

John Gibson, the Washington County assistant administrator and former 911 director, said each central emergency office in Washington and Benton counties would have to install hardware to support a separate line for 911 calls placed from the new area code.

The installation would cost $2,150 for Washington County, Gibson said.

Each 911 central office — there are 13 in Washington County — would also have to pay $155 monthly to rent the line from the local provider. The fee is set by the PSC.

Gibson said the added expense wouldn’t come from the taxpayers.

“It’ll be a cost of doing business that we’ll have to absorb,” he said.