why do we starting this month have to dial the area code and number ?

[AllaN01Bear]

(with a fake phone number shown as thus) 1.209.555-5555? i understand we even have to do that on cellphones .

[ret5hd]

1. Been doing it that way for decades now.

[dflprincess]

2. On land lines you need to dial the 1 first

not the case on cells.

[leftieNanner]

6. Not within my area

It won't go through for local calls if you dial the 1. Every area is different, I think.

[yonder]

13. Same here when they started 10 number dialing a few years ago.

[dflprincess]

16. I should have been clearer

you dial the "1" first for a long distance call on land lines. If it's just a different area code in the same "calling zone" (or whatever they call it now) you don't need the "1".

On cells phones you never need it.

[csziggy]

19. What's annoying here is that most 850 numbers you don't have to dial 1

But some, out of the immediate area you do. It's very confusing. Pretty much for 850 I use trial and error.

[jimfields33]

17. Me too. Never occurred that people still didn't need area codes.

[Ollie Garkie]

3. Southestern PA

been that way for 20 or 30 years

[ShazzieB]

4. Must depend on where you live,

We've had to dial every number like that for a few years now. I've gotten so used to it, I don't even notice anymore.

Of course, all the numbers I call with any degree are stored in my contacts, so I really don't have to dial many numbers from scratch.

[unblock]

5. Oh cool, they're introducing 988 as a national suicide prevention hotline

So 10-digit dialing will be required so the phone systems can distinguish between the 988 hotline and ordinary 7-digit phone numbers that happen to begin with 988.


https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/25/22351130/area-codes-10-digit-dialing-soon-required-for-certain-places-national-suicide-prevention-hotline-988

[SharonClark]

8. I received several postcards from my

phone providers stating why and which area codes are impacted.

[RainCaster]

7. it's been that way in the Bay Area since early 80s

[hlthe2b]

9. Denver has since the late 90s... It happens when new area codes are added.

Really, not that big a deal, given most people use cell phones and contact lists.

[CurtEastPoint]

10. you don't need to dial the 1

[Me.]

12. That's Not How It Works Everywhere

If someone calls me without the 1 and I tryt o just hit call back it won't do it unless I put a 1 in

[Deuxcents]

11. Been that way for as long as I can remember

People are mobile these days and if they move, they usually keep their cell numbers. Here in Florida, we have people from all over so they ask for area code first.

[Bobstandard]

14. This messes with my freedom!

Obviously, being forced to dial the 1 it’s a socialist plot. Or is it communism? I forget. But it’s part of the Soros/Pelosi/Elon Musk/Q thing and a threat to all that we hold dear.

[yonder]

15. Agreed. We need to take our phones back.

Back from where I dunno. Commie, nazi, buddhists?

[csziggy]

20. I want to go back to where I have a word, then the number

Like this:

[retread]

18. From the FCC Consumer Guide web site:

"Why Is Ten-Digit Dialing Necessary?

There are more phones in America than there are people, and each phone needs its own phone number. Beginning in the early 1990s, to accommodate the growing need for more phone numbers, some areas began to add a second area code for local calls. Dialing both the area code and the seven-digit number was necessary to ensure the call reached the intended recipient. As more area codes begin to run out of new seven-digit numbers to assign, a second local area code may be added, requiring that area to transition to ten-digit dialing.

In 2020, the FCC established "988" as the new, nationwide three-digit phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The new three-digit dialing code will be available nationwide by July 16, 2022 and will provide an easy to remember and easy to dial three-digit number to reach suicide prevention and mental health counselors, similar to "911" for emergencies and "311" for local government services. To help facilitate the creation of "988", area codes that use "988" as a local exchange, or the first three digits of a seven-digit phone number, will need to use 10-digit dialing."