SENATE RESOLUTION No. 76

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 10, 1997

 

 

By Senator McGREEVEY

 

 

A Senate Resolution memorializing the President and Congress of the United States to require the Federal Communications Commission to approve the assignment of new area codes specifically designated for facsimile machines, modems, cellular phones and pagers.

 

Whereas, The Federal Communications Commission has previously rejected the assignment of area codes specifically for facsimile machines, modems, cellular phones and pagers, ruling that such a designation based on technology is discriminatory; and

Whereas, The State of New Jersey is rapidly running out of its supply of telephone numbers due to the growth of technologies, such as facsimile machines, cellular phones, modems and pagers, and the opening of local telephone markets to competition; and

Whereas, The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently approved adding two new area codes in the State through the method known as a "geographic split," which will divide the 908 and 201 area code regions, allowing half the customers to retain their area code and phone numbers while assigning the others a new area code, and resulting in the splitting of 21 municipalities into two zones; and

Whereas, The Board of Public Utilities' recent action creating two new area code regions is a temporary fix to this State's chronic telephone number shortage because it is expected that the 609 area code, which covers the southern part of the State, will need an additional area code by 1998; and

Whereas, The geographic split method is considered by some to be more costly and disruptive to customers than the alternative of a new area code overlay, which would have resulted in a new area code over the 908 and 201 regions and would have required 10-digit dialing for every telephone call in those regions; and

Whereas, The designation of area codes based on specific technologies will result in less confusion and inconvenience than the full overlay method because, rather than all new telephone numbers receiving a new area code, specific area codes will be designated for specified purposes; and

Whereas, It is appropriate and in the public interest for this House to urge the President and Congress of the United States to require the Federal Communications Commission to approve the assignment of new area codes based on specific technologies; now, therefore,

 

    Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. This House memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to require the Federal Communications Commission to approve the assignment of new area codes specifically for facsimile machines, modems, cellular phones and pagers.

 

    2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the chairs of the appropriate standing committees of Congress, each member of Congress elected thereto from New Jersey, and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This resolution memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the assignment of new area codes specifically for facsimile machines, modems, cellular phones and pagers. Previously, the FCC has rejected the assignment of area codes to specific technologies, ruling that such a designation based on technology is discriminatory.

 

 

                             

 

Memorializes President and Congress to require FCC to approve technology-based area code designations.