Press Release

Geographic Split Plan Approved for Northeast Florida's 904 Calling Area 386 will be the New Area Code

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 28, 2000)--- The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) announced today that a new area code---(386)---has been assigned to the Northeast Florida calling area.

The 904 calling area has been assigned the 386 area code and is projected to exhaust in the first quarter of 2002. Specific activation dates and customer education plans for the new geographic split plan will be determined during a telecommunications implementation meeting in Jacksonville in December. More detailed information for customers will be available at that time.

The 904 area code will continue to serve existing customers in the Jacksonville, Florida metropolitan calling area which includes all of Duval, Nassau, Baker, Clay, and Bradford Counties and most of St. Johns County. Customers in the remaining calling areas currently served by the 904 area code will receive the new 386 area code. The areas receiving the 386 area code include all, or part of Columbia, Union, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Putnam, and Flagler, Counties. Also included are the parts of Gilchrest, Alachua, and Volusia Counties that are now in the 904 area code. Part of St. Johns County is in the area to be served by the new 386 area code.

Several alternatives were considered for relief of the 904 calling area. The Florida Public Service Commission approved the geographic split relief plan this month.

The introduction of the 386 area code begins with a "permissive" dialing period, in Mid-February 2001. The exact date will be communicated to individual customers by the local telephone companies in the area. During this period, customers can use either the 904 or the new 386 area code to place calls to the new area code calling areas. In addition, customers can also place any local calls between the 904 and the new 386 calling areas by dialing just seven-digits during the permissive period.

Once mandatory dialing of the 386 area code begins on November 5, 2001, callers must use the correct area code to complete their calls. In addition, customers will have to use 10-digit dialing (area code + seven-digit telephone number) on all local calls between area codes. After the mandatory dialing begins, callers who do not use the new area code will receive a recorded message reminding them that the area code has changed. They will then be required to redial the number using the correct area code. Customers in the new 386 area code will be able to make local calls to other numbers in the 386 area code by dialing just the seven-digit number. Long distance calls will continue to be dialed as before.

Thomas C. Foley, NANPA's area code relief planner for the Eastern Region, which includes Florida, said the introduction of the new 386 area code is needed due to an increase in competition in the local phone service market, the growing demand by the public for additional telephone numbers, and a technical requirement in the phone network that currently allocates phone numbers in blocks of 10,000.

Foley said the addition of the new area code in Northeast Florida would not affect the cost of telephone calls. "Local calls will remain local calls regardless of the area code dialed," he noted.

Area code relief activities in Florida are administered by NeuStar, Inc., which was selected by the Federal Communications Commission to serve as the NANPA.

NANPA is the neutral, third party administrator that works with the telecommunications industry in developing area code relief plans. NANPA also oversees the assignment of area codes, three-digit central office codes, carrier identification codes, and other numbering resources throughout the United States, Canada, Bermuda and many of the Caribbean islands.

NeuStar, Inc. is an independent company that provides neutral, third-party clearinghouse services to the communications industry. Visit NANPA online at www.nanpa.com and NeuStar, Inc. at www.neustar.com.

For media inquiries, please contact Bill Stern, spokesman for the North American Numbering Plan Administration, at 202-533-2648.