New N.Y. Law Targets Hidden Net LD Tolls

Fri Aug 19 21:05:35 UTC 2005

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Stephen Sprunk wrote:

> When you have seven nearby area codes (like I do), and parts of each of them
> can be local or toll, there's no hope of memorizing prefixes.  You guess based
> on the distance, and you either get through or a recording tells you that you
> guessed wrong.

Here in Atlanta, the local calling area is a huge ellipse-like shape with a
wide radius of something like 100 miles, entirely containing four NPAs (404,
678, 770, and the inactive[*] 470), and with access to edge-touching
prefixes in three others (256, 478, and 706).  10D dialing for local calls
has been around for some time, and is standardized to the point of locals
regularly using shorthand for NPA (4/XXX-XXXX is 404; 7/XXX-XXXX is 770).
1+10D is always used for toll calls, and you get an intercept recording if
you guessed wrong about the leading 1.

(Ref: http://members.dandy.net/~czg/lca_exch.php?exch=032460 )

I've found the overlay scheme to be so much more straightforward; 10D
numbers are constant length and proper detection about use of leading 1
keeps unintended tolls out of the way.

> I find it to be nuts that some places have 7D toll calls and 11D local calls;
> how can you have any clue what (if anything) you're paying without calling the
> operator?

You don't easily.  And the worst part is, the dialing pattern varies even
more wildly throughout the US.  NANPA keeps a record of these patterns:

http://www.nanpa.com/npa/allnpas.zip
    (*cough* Access database with comprehensive info)

http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npasRequiring10DigitReport.do?method=displayNpasRequiring10DigitReport
    (NPAs requiring 10D local dialing, with appreviated details)

-- 
-- Todd Vierling <tv at duh.org> <tv at pobox.com> <todd at vierling.name>