§  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]

   Effective Date Note:   At  67 FR 6434 , Feb. 12, 2002, § 52.19 was amended
   by revising paragraph (c)(3)(i) and adding paragraph (c)(4). These
   paragraphs contain information collection requirements and will not
   become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
   Management and Budget.

Subpart C—Number Portability

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