Local area code set to change
By SCOTT BRODFUEHRER
Assistant News Editor
Because the current 219 area code serving all of northern Indiana is nearing capacity, callers will have to dial a new area code 574 to reach Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and South Bend residents as early as June 2002.
According to Notre Dame's telecommunications manager Steve Ellis, during the next four months, until Dec.14, callers will notice no changes while telephone companies prepare their equipment for the new area code.
Starting Dec. 14, a period called permissive dialing will begin, when callers may dial either the old 219 area code or the new 574 area code. Then beginning June 14, 2002, callers must dial the new 574 area code.
The December and June deadlines were set by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, but may be moved back as a result of appeals from telephone companies.
Before the new area code takes affect, the University has to prepare for the change.
"All literature has to be changed [with the new area code]. It's very painful. Voice mail will have to be changed, but we are hoping to get some outside assistance with that," said Ellis.
Saint Mary's is also preparing for the change over.
"I've already planned to send notices to let people know that they can use the new area code in December, and I plan to follow up closer to June, when everyone must use the 574 area code," said Saint Mary's Telecommunications Coordinator Sandy Handley.
To minimize the cost of printing new business cards, brochures and other media with the new area code, Notre Dame procurement services alerted the University community of the area code change.
Ellis said he suggests that departments use their current supply of media and change the area code when they re-order during the six-month permissive period.
"We are pleased we got the information so early and we sent an alert out well enough in advance that we have almost a year [to change the area code on current media]. We see no additional cost to the University since we have given early notice to the departments and we have asked the printing suppliers to work with each department in ordering appropriate quantities through the transition," said assistant vice president for procurement services Tim Gibney.
According to Saint Mary's director of marketing communications Nick Farmer, the College has not yet sent out instructions for ordering media with the new area code, but will do so soon.
"It came as somewhat of a surprise to people over the summer [that the area code would change]. We will be sending out guidelines for the new area code very soon," said Farmer.
The telecommunications departments at both schools will continue to publicize information about the area code change as the change over date approaches and Ellis said he suggests callers begin using the 574 area code as soon as the permissive dialing period begins.
"Everybody will approach using the new area code a different way, but the quicker I forget 219, the better I'm going to be," Ellis said.
Officials from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission split the region into three parts, each with its own area code: the eastern region including Fort Wane, the central region including South Bend and the western region including Gary.
During the summer, a lottery was held to determine which region would keep the 219 area code and which would adopt two new area codes: 260 and 574. The Gary area was randomly selected to keep 219, South Bend was assigned 574 and Fort Wayne was assigned 260.
All News Stories for Thursday, August 30, 2001
