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South Georgia to see new area code

Commission to decide on splitting calling area in June with implementation set for end of this year

Web posted May 2, 1998

By Lawrence Viele
Morris News Service

ATLANTA -- South Georgia telephone customers may have to get used to dialing a new area code, much the same way their neighbors in North Georgia have in recent years.

Metro Atlanta residents must cope with three area codes within the local calling area, but now some South Georgians may get the same treatment.

The Public Service Commission says telephone companies are running out of available numbers in the 912 area.

So South Georgians, including Valdosta, Savannah, Brunswick and St. Marys business people and residents, could find themselves ordering stationery with a different area code.

The commission won't take up the matter until June, and a change in area codes would not be implemented until the end of this year.

Savannah, because of international port business, might be excluded from an area code change, said PSC spokesman Shawn Davis.

``It depends on whether or not a change in area codes could disrupt commerce,'' Mr. Davis said.

Georgians who are used to putting 706 in front of their telephone number can rest assured: no changes are in store for them.

``To my knowledge it's not even on the radar screen yet,'' Mr. Davis said. ``706 is actually underutilized. It's still a fairly small population in one area code.''

Commissioners will have to decide from several choices on where the new Georgia code will be used.

They could split Central and South Georgia into different area codes.

They could also ``overlay,'' a process of assigning the new area code to phone lines installed after a certain date.

Overlaying area codes would mean that neighbors could have different area codes or a fax machine has a different area code from the rest of the office.

One proposal is to split the current 912 area east and west using Interstate 75 as a dividing point.

``It might be less confusing to go with a geographic split now and go to an overlay in a given area,'' when the region gets even more crowded, said Commissioner Bob Durden.

Staff writer Karin Schill contributed to this article