TO: EDITORS, NEWS DIRECTORS

DATE: November 16, 2000

FOR: IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Flagstaff Area Residents Invited to Comment on Area Code Options
520 Area Code Soon to be Out of Numbers

PHOENIX - Experts forecast that the 520 area code will run out of available prefixes within the next year. The entire state of Arizona, with the exception of the Phoenix metro area, is served by the 520 area code. Competition in telecommunications and the rapid proliferation of cellular phones, pagers, fax machines and enhanced Internet services are just a few of the reasons that supply of available numbers is dwindling. Arizona Corporation Commission representatives will be in Flagstaff on November 21 to gain input from the public on two proposed relief options: an overlay or a geographic split.

A geographic split essentially draws a line through an existing area code and assigns a new area code to customers on one side of the line. The other side retains their existing area code. An overlay adds a new area code to an existing geographic region. This means that two area codes will work in the same general area. New customers or customers requesting new lines of service would be assigned the new area code.

If a geographic split is chosen, the corridor between Phoenix and Nogales would retain the 520 area code under the proposal submitted by the telecommunications industry. The areas around Globe, Florence, Casa Grande, Tucson and Nogales would still be in the 520 area code while the eastern, northern and western portions of the state would receive a new area code. (Please see "All About Area Codes" for more details on both options.)

The Commission will hold a public comment session for the Flagstaff area on Tuesday, November 21 at Flagstaff's Holiday Inn Express, 2320 East Lucky Lane. The session will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an introduction and explanation of the split and overlay options. The session should last approximately two hours. Chairman Carl Kunasek, Commissioner Jim Irvin and Commissioner Bill Mundell are expected to attend, along with representatives from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator and Arizona's telecommunications firms.

About the process:

Public comment sessions are formal proceedings. Residents will be asked to introduce themselves by name and then present their comments to the Commissioner(s) or company representatives. A court reporter will transcribe all comments shared at the proceeding. Citizen input becomes a part of the official record that the Commissioners review prior to making any final decisions on pending matters.

For more information about the split or overlay options, check the Commission's website at www.cc.state.az.us. Individuals who cannot attend the public comment session are encouraged to study the information on the website and express their views in writing. Letters should include docket number T-00000F-99-0641 and may be sent to: Executive Secretary, Arizona Corporation Commission, 1200 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

EDITORS or NEWS DIRECTORS: For more information on the meeting, please contact the Public Information Officer, Heather Murphy, at (602) 542-0844.