Northern Wis. must dial 10 digits
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State telecommunications regulators want phone customers in northern Wisconsin to start adding the area code to local calls beginning Saturday.
The move is designed to help customers in the 715 area code prepare for the region's new 534 area code. The new code goes into effect for new phones and services in the region in August and will exist side-by-side with 715.
Dialing the old seven-digit number will still work until July. After that customers will have to use 10 digits or their calls won't go through.
Local calls will still cost the same, regardless of dialing 10 digits. And customers can still dial 911 without an area code.
Oct 14, 2009 at 7:07 p.m.
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LOL@ DiGriz
Oct 14, 2009 at 6:45 p.m.
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aren't you glad we got rid of those pesky rotary phones?
Oct 14, 2009 at 5:33 p.m.
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maybe I'm missing something...I hardly ever DIAL a number. I program the number in my cell phone, find that #, and then hit send. I could care less what the area code is once it's entered into my phone.
Oct 14, 2009 at 4:47 p.m.
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more of that old finger stress. from cell phones, it is just easier to dial all ten digets all the time.
Oct 14, 2009 at 4:42 p.m.
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Dear Jvhomeowner,
You or anyone else living in sparsely populated areas are not being singled out. I live in Los Angeles and we have to go through this nonsense too. We have to dial 11 numbers wherever we call. The same amount of numbers is required to make a call if I call my next door neighbor or across the country.
For each call, L.A. residents are required to dial 1 + area code + number. And yes, that makes 11. Wouldn't you think with all the modern conveniences and the great technology we have today, that is should be easier to dial and not more difficult?
I feel bad for parents who are trying to teach their little ones to learn their phone number in the event of an emergency. That is a lot of information for a little one!
Nothing seems simple anymore.
Oct 14, 2009 at 2:01 p.m.
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it seems like the people in the sparsely populated areas are the ones who get stuck having to dial the 10 digits, as they lay the 2nd area code over the first, instead of just splitting it. My parents have had to change their area code 3 times now in Northern Illinois, from 312 to 708 to 620, but the still don't need to dial an area code to call their neighbor, the next town, yes.
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