Bug of the Month

Your Call Did Not Go Through...

Here's a cautionary tale of how things can break when an area code changes. Almost every major metropolitan area in the United States has already diced, or will soon dice, its area codes into smaller geographic zones with new area codes. Generally when this happens, if you dial someone who used to be in your area code but is now in the new area code, you dial only 10 digits (area code + seven digits) instead of dialing 11 digits (1 + area code + seven digits). The phone companies don't require the "1," even though you are dialing a different area code, so that customers don't think they're being charged for a long-distance call.

This may not seem like a big deal, but these changes will be a headache for most computer users. For example, the phone dialer and modem control in Windows 95 automatically dial a 1 before dialing a number with an area code. Microsoft is aware of the problem (Seattle's 206 area code was split and a 10-digit plan instituted in November). Several Win 95 work-arounds have been posted, but these m ust be performed each time you dial a number. In Windows 98, you will be able to set dialing properties, and a new tab called Area Code Rules lets you program your system to handle 10-digit dialing.

The biggest flaw with most 10-digit dialing plans is that they are unnecessary, according to Bell Atlantic officials. Dropping the "1," government officials say, indicates to people that they aren't paying for a toll call. But officials at telcos say bureaucrats don't understand the capabilities of telephone backbones. "[The Department of Public Utilities'] idea is that dialing a 1 is a toll indicator, a flag telling you that you're paying long-distance rates," says Tom Desisto, executive director of state relations at Bell Atlantic. "But we [Bell Atlantic] hav e the technology to charge people the correct rates no matter how they dial a number."

It remains to be seen what the impact of 10-digit dialing will be, But it could also cause some companies enormous headaches in reprogramming databases, akin to Year 2000 legacy problems.

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