Mandatory 10-digit phone dialing to start within 516 area code

Dial T for Tedious. With the expansion starting Sunday of universal 10-digit (and depending on your carrier, 11-digit) dialing to cover calls made within Nassau Countys area code, 516, Robert Wolfe of North Woodmere must update his speed-dialing presets — and also check his burglar alarm. In the nearly 50 years he has lived in Nassau, calls made from one 516 number to another in 516 needed only the seven-digit phone number for the call to be completed. Now, the numbers of 20 or 30 friends, family and neighbors who have 516 numbers might not connect anymore without 10 digits. Now I’m going to have to program the new 516, said Wolfe, 75, a retired veterinarian, noting that he hasn’t memorized a phone number in years, except perhaps his own and his wife’s. So it is that he will need to go through all the numbers programmed into his phone, identify 516 numbers, and add those three crucial digits: 5, 1 and 6. In many places, including Suffolk County, dialing 10 digits has long been required. What’s changing and why? By July 16, 2022, dialing 988 must connect the caller to a suicide-prevention hotline, under rules adopted in July 2020 by the Federal Communications Commission. (The 988 hotline joins other three-digit hotlines, such as 911 for emergencies, 411 for directory information and 311 in some localities for municipal services.) Get the Nassau news this week newsletter! The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Nassau County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Requiring the use of area codes prevents callers intending to reach a seven-digit phone number with the prefix 988 from being mistakenly transferred to the suicide-prevention hotline. Beyond phones, what other devices are affected by the changeover? Any device that uses the phone to communicate, including life-safety systems, fax machines, voicemail, call-forwarding services, burglar alarms, door buzzers, gates, voicemail. Some of these devices might already be programmed to call out with area code, but you should check yourself or with the provider. Must I use 10 digits (area code + phone number) or 11 digits (1 + area code + phone number)? That depends on your carrier. Altice/Optimum phone systems recognize calls dialed with either 10 or 11 digits, according to Janet Meahan, an Altice spokeswoman. But Richard J. Young, a Verizon spokesman, says 11 digits (1 + area code + phone number) should be dialed on that company’s systems, regardless of whether you’ve got a VoIP phone, a more-traditional phone line or a cellphone. What happens if I just dial the seven digits of a phone number? You might get an error recording saying the call can’t be completed as dialed and to try again. Haven’t I been able to dial the full number already? Yes, since April 24 for most carriers, callers within 516 could dial with or without area code. What are some of the area codes joining 516 in the new policy? The change is taking effect for certain area codes in 18 states, including Michigan, Kentucky, California, Hawaii and Guam. Locally, affected area codes are 607 (the Southern Tier, which includes Binghamton), 716 (the Buffalo area), 845 (the Hudson Valley) and 914 (Westchester). In how much of the United States is seven-digit dialing within an area code still permitted? About half the area codes nationwide still allowed seven-digit dialing as of December 2020. Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City Hall. The post Mandatory 10-digit phone dialing to start within 516 area code appeared first on Patabook News .

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