Xref: utzoo news.config:557 comp.mail.uucp:1251 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!purdue!BROOKS%csss-a.prime.com@RELAY.CS.NET From: BROOKS%csss-a.prime.com@RELAY.CS.NET Newsgroups: news.config,comp.mail.uucp Subject: Area Code 508 coming. Hide! Message-ID: <3920@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> Date: 21 Apr 88 20:49:40 GMT Sender: news@cs.purdue.EDU Distribution: na Lines: 50 I hope I'm wrong, but I see a period of chaos looming for all of us who live in Eastern Massachusetts and our correspondents. On July 16, 1988, New England Telephone will officially turn on the 508 area code. This will be formed out of the western half of the 617 area code, serving Eastern Massachusetts (Boston and points west). The dividing line runs roughly one town's worth west of MA Route 128. N.E.T. promises there will be no change to the rate structure. We all believe that, don't we? ;-) >From that date, N.E.T. will provide silent redirection of calls for THREE MONTHS ONLY. After October 16, 1988, a recorded message will kick in if you dial the wrong area code or, when calling from 617 or 508, forget to add one. Clearly, the recorded message will not mean much to your modem. After a year, even this goes away, and N.E.T. can at last start reassigning numbers. So you'll have a 3 month period within which you can fix your pathalias and Systems files. People living in Western Eastern Mass will be adding 617 to some Bostonwards calls. Greater Boston will be adding some 508s. Rest of the world, you'll be changing some 617s to 508. Until October, you have no indication that you got it right. Fortunately, most of our local Well Known Hosts stay in 617 (MIT, Harvard and BBN, certainly. I don't know about necntc). Being Well Known, they may have more than the average 617 numbers in their own databases (are they listening?). Worcester, Westboro, Maynard, Framingham, and Sudbury are among the towns moved to outer darkness. Of course, we can keep 617 lines at a price. I have a list of the affected exchange numbers, but I'd rather not type it in if someone has a copy online. I understand that some long distance carriers have already turned 508 on, as has N.E.T. in some exchanges. But don't rely on it yet. You now have about 6 months notice to find out if your correspondents have new numbers, so Don't Panic. If you use a PBX that bars unknown area codes, you might like to find out what it is going to do. 617 residents can call 1-800-555-5000 for more information. __ __ / ) / / ) / / / __ _ o __/ /--/ __ ________/_) _ /__/ (_(_|/ (__(_( /__/ / (_/_/ /_/ / \_/_)_ Internet: BROOKS@CSSS-A.PRIME.COM uucp: {mit-eddie,necntc}!primerd!csss-a.prime.com!brooks Standard disclaimer applies as appropriate.