MCI outlines consumer-oriented plan to meet increased demand for telephone numbers in Los Angeles; company asks California Public Utility Commission to investigate Pacific Bell's apparent mismanagement of numbering scheme

Business Wire, March 27, 1995

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 1995--As the use of paging and wireless telephone services soars, some fear that Los Angeles may soon run out of telephone numbers.

But that needn't happen if state regulators adopt a new approach to telephone numbering that can meet increased demand from Los Angeles customers, MCI said today.

In testimony before the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), MCI outlined a telephone numbering plan that assigns area codes based on where customers live and work, creating new area codes as demand for new numbers rises. The solution, called "geographic split," which assigns area codes by where customers are located, has been implemented successfully in other large metropolitan areas providing additional numbers without inconveniencing customers, according to MCI.

"MCI supports a plan for Los Angeles that would be similar to one approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission for use in Chicago," said Richard Severy, MCI's director of legislative and regulatory affairs for the western division. "This same geographic split proposal has been endorsed by the Federal Communications Commission as a solution that best serves the needs of business and residential customers."

While promoting the geographic split solution, MCI also called into question a separate numbering scheme proposed by Pacific Bell, called Numbering Plan Area (NPA) Overlay, that would require customers to use multiple area codes for different services. New customers in the same area might also be assigned different area codes.

"The risk of confusion would be endless," said MCI's Severy. "Customers adding a second telephone line in their homes would be forced to use two different area codes -- perhaps 562 for one line and 310 for the other. Residents on the same street could not assume they shared their neighbor's area code."

Concurrently, MCI also asked the CPUC to investigate Pacific Bell's apparent mismanagement of telephone numbering in California.

"As recently as 1990, Pacific Bell asserted it had enough telephone numbers to last through the year 2002," said Severy. "Now Pacific Bell claims to be running out of numbers and is proposing an unworkable plan to compensate for the shortfall. Customers should not be forced to pay the price for Pacific Bell's mismanagement of the numbering plan."

MCI would only consider Pacific Bell's overlay plan if it treated all competitors equally and permitted number portability which enables customers to retain the same telephone number when switching to a competing local telephone company. Under the present Bell proposal, new entrants wishing to provide competitive local service would have to use the new 562 area code. These providers would be at a severe competitive disadvantage because customers are less likely to switch to a competitor if they have to change numbers.

According to Severy, "Pacific Bell has not considered number portability because it wants total and permanent control of all telephone numbers."

MCI, headquartered in Washington, DC, has grown from its core long distance business to become the world's third largest carrier of international calling and a premier provider of data communications over the vast Internet computer network. With annual revenues of $13.3 billion, the company today provides a wide array of consumer and business long distance and local services, data and voice communications, on-line information, electronic mail, network management services and communications software.

CONTACT: MCI California Press Office

Lisbet Engberg, 415/512-6800