11/14/97
ATHENS, Ohio -- Legal challenges in some Ohio counties have caused a delay in implementing the new "740" area code throughout Southeastern Ohio, and Ohio University officials are advising anyone calling any of its six campuses to continue using the "614" area code until further notice.
"The timetable of the telecommunications carriers, including GTE in the Athens area, has slipped due to challenges made to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio," said Thomas Reid, director of Ohio University Communication Network Services. "We are asking everyone calling the Ohio University campuses to continue using the 614 area code until further notice."
Lisa Robertson, a Chicago-based area code administrator for all 614 carriers, decided to change the implementation for "permissive dialing" -- calling either 740 or 614 -- from Nov. 8 to Dec. 6. (Robertson said that while she is employed by Ameritech, she was not speaking as an Ameritech employee but as a representative for a large number of telephone companies that are affected by the change from 614 to 740.) Reid suggested that telephone users wait for more definitive information after Dec. 6, since legal challenges could continue and that -- regardless of what happens with challenges to 740 -- the 614 area code will work until June 6, 1998.
"The PUCO decided to change its plan after some counties, including Licking and Fairfield, filed complaints against the original plan," Robertson said. "There was not enough time for all telephone carriers to come into compliance after the PUCO changes."
Reid said the university received no official notice, but learned of the problems from university employees who were not receiving expected calls. He said some calls to Ohio University using 740 are getting through and others are not. All 614 calls are getting through, he said.
The university's main campus is in Athens. Regional campuses are in Belmont County, Ironton, Chillicothe, Zanesville and Lancaster.