5898 people have sent "Keep 760" emails to our representatives as of 12:12 PM, 9/5/08!
(That's over 4 1/2 times the total number of responses the CPUC says it received before it made its decision.)

Let's Keep Area Code 760!

On April 24, 2008, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to remove a significant portion of San Diego County from the 760 area code, against the recommendation of the impartial North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). Starting this November, all of us in the affected region will be forced to switch to area code 442. (A list of affected phone number prefixes is here.)

We think NANPA's original recommendation of an area code overlay makes the most sense and inconveniences the fewest people. In an overlay, those of us who already have 760 phone numbers would keep them and only new customers in the 760 area would be assigned the 442 area code.

Your "Keep 760" emails at work

Way to go, 760!
Overflow crowds storm Thursday's Carlsbad CPUC hearing

State Assemblyman Martin Garrick (right, at podium) presented CPUC representatives with an impressive stack of over 5870 printed-out "Keep 760" emails (seen in front of the podium). Garrick and his staff, along with attorney Suzanne Toller, made the hearing possible by filing a petition fueled by those same "Keep 760" letters.	The Carlsbad City Council Chambers were completely filled for the very rare "second chance" public hearing. Dozens of business owners and residents passionately related their individual (and sometimes heartbreaking) reasons for wanting to Keep 760, and expressed their support for an overlay before Administrative Law Judge Maribeth Bushey and a sympathetic CPUC Commissioner Timothy Simon.
By 3:30 p.m., a line of speakers and 760 overlay supporters snaked outside the full city council chambers in anticipation of the 4:00 p.m. hearing. Carlsbad fire marshals allowed new people inside only after others had left. ALJ Bushey, who chaired the hearing, asked the audience to rotate in shifts so that all attendees could eventually get in.	The only standing room allowed inside the hearing by the fire marshals was behind the observation glass at the rear of the chambers. An estimated two-to-three hundred people converged on the meeting, which also included mayors, city councilmembers and speakers from organizations that would be severly affected by the 442 Split, including non-profits and hospitals.
Outside seating and a P.A. system broadcasting the hearing were made available, but there still weren't enough seats to go around. The hearing, scheduled to run from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., didn't actually end until 8:00 p.m. due to the enormous number of people who wanted to speak.	Camp Pendleton Commanding Officer Col. James B. Seaton made a compelling argument against the 442 Split, telling Administrative Law Judge Maribeth Bushey that it would be would be a "major burden" for the Marines.
Among the final speakers to address ALJ Maribeth Bushey (l.) and Commissioner Timothy Simon (r.) at the hearing as the hearing ended its fourth hour was Martha Lawrence of The Ken Blanchard Companies in Escondido. One of many business representatives who outlined the financial and logistical difficulties a 442 Split would cause, Lawrence also said that her son has been missing for over a year, and that "I would hate to have him call and think I was no longer there."	Many attendees had to wait outside for a chance to enter. At the beginning and end of the hearing, Commissioner Simon spoke of his strong belief in the overlay solution vs. the current 442 Split decision. He also encouraged all who can to attend and participate in the CPUC's October 16 San Francisco meeting, when the commission will reconsider its decision. He reminded the intent crowd that mustering two additional votes among the five commissioners might be difficult, and is far from a foregone conclusion.
Read newspaper accounts of this extraordinary meeting here. WHAT'S NEXT? Keep760.org will keep you up to date on the campaign to Keep 760. Come back soon for updates...

Two public participation hearings will be held – one on September 3rd in Victorville and one on September 4 in Carlsbad.
The CPUC Public Advisor shall direct the carriers notify customers of the upcoming hearings by means that are “efficient and effective in reaching the largest numbers of customers”. Electronic and internet-based notifications are encouraged.
Comments on the Petition are due on September 2
Reply comments are due on September 5
The Proposed Decision is to be prepared and mailed on September 16, 2008, for consideration by the Commission at its October 16, 2008 meeting.
Carriers should continue network preparations necessary for implementing permissive dialing on November 8, 2008.
However, carriers are directed not to mail customer notices of the initiation of permissive dialing, pending further ruling or order of the Commission.

A Petition for Modification and a Stay asking that the 442 Split decision be postponed until it is re-evaluated were filed with the CPUC on Friday, August 15 by David Wright Tremaine LLP on behalf of Assemblyman Martin Garrick and the Chambers of Commerce of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista.

The Petition makes a very compelling argument for an overlay and explains how the CPUC's original decision was based on erroneous and misinterpreted information.

You can download the filed documents here:

• Petition For Modification (3.4MB .pdf document)
• Motion for a Stay of the 442 Split decision (260k .pdf document)
• Motion to shorten the CPUC's response time to the Motion for a Stay (128k .pdf document)
• Notice of Availability of the Petition for Modification (93k .pdf document)

Over the past few weeks, there has been a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes activity on the "Keep 760" front. The results are encouraging.

Many regional elected officials responded to the over 5000 "Keep 760" emails by signing an urgent letter asking the CPUC to reconsider its decision. But 74^th District State Assemblyman Martin Garrick, a former North County businessman, has personally taken up our cause with great energy, enthusiasm and political savvy. Several weeks ago, Garrick and his staff decided to spearhead a campaign to get the CPUC's unfortunate 442 Split ruling changed.

In addition to several strategy sessions with Keep760.org, Garrick has personally met or talked with all five CPUC commissioners, bringing them copies of "Keep 760" fact sheets describing the sheer volume of letters from residents dissatisfied with the decision, all asking for an overlay instead of a split. Additionally, he hand-carried letters from mayors, city council members and chambers of commerce, all citing the inordinate, unnecessary costs of the 442 Split, estimated at nearly $75 million.

Garrick also shared with the CPUC commissioners several less-obvious complications that will result if the 442 Split occurs, involving Kid-Safe programs, pet identity chips, senior adult ID registries for dementia, emergency contact notification, estate planning documents, medical alert ID tags, and many others.

On Monday, August 11, Garrick and a highly regarded San Francisco telecommunications attorney conducted a conference call with phone and cable service providers, including AT&T, Verizon and Cox. Despite having already invested in the mandated 442 Split, the majority of the providers agreed to support our efforts-- provided that action was taken very soon. The petition and other documents were filed with the CPUC on Friday, August 15, 2008.

Keep760.org will continue to keep you updated here as the situation develops.

"Keep 760" Media Coverage The extraordinary CPUC public hearing is covered by the San Diego Union-Tribune on September 5. The September 5 North County Times reports on the overwhelming response and the comments of Camp Pendleton's commanding officer at Carlsbad's CPUC Public Hearing. In an August 28 editorial titled "Area code coup," the San Diego Union-Tribune asks the CPUC to "take the next step and do the right thing" after the new public meetings in Victorville and Carlsbad on September 3 and 4. In an August 27 editorial, the North County Times urges residents to attend the "second chance" public meeting in Carlsbad on Thursday, September 4, and speak out. John Van Doorn of the North County Times muses on American tradition and the history of area codes on August 27. KGTV News 10 and Fox 5 San Diego's stories on August 26 about events leading to the new Keep 760 meeting in Carlsbad. News about the new chance to save 760 travels fast on the August 26 front pages of the North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune. An August 19 editorial in the North County Times faults the CPUC's flawed public notification process. The new legal battle opposing the 442 Split is the subject of this August 15 North County Times article. Gary Warth of the North County Times reports on July 20 that some feel a 442 Split might not be a bad idea. On July 16, 101 KGB's Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw shine their twisted light on the whole "Keep 760" thing. The San Diego Union-Tribune covers the "Keep 760" campaign on its July 16 front page. Jeff Frank ruminates on area code changes in his June 13 North County Times column. The July 9 North County Times reports on the letter sent to the CPUC by our elected representatives, who were spurred by nearly 4000 "Keep 760" emails. The lead editorial in the July 6 North County Times says the inclusion of cell phones in the 442 Split adds more fuel to the "Code War." Cell phones will switch to 442 also, as reported in this July 2 North County Times article that also mentions Keep760.org's efforts. Fox6 News runs a story about Keep760.org on June 26. The North County Times documents the growing reaction to Keep760.org's efforts in its June 26 issue. KGTV News 10 aired a story about Keep760.org on June 16. An editorial supporting Keep760.org's efforts, "Commission must rethink new area code," appeared in the June 12 North County Times. Read about the controversy in this June 5 North County Times article.

Click here to send a "Keep 760" email to our elected representatives.

Your comments will now be sent to the elected officials who haven't yet signed the urgent request letter to the CPUC, with the request that they help persuade the CPUC to reconsider its flawed decision. The emails will also be copied directly to the CPUC.

No Area Code 442 Split for San Diego County!
(Map adapted from the San Diego Union-Tribune, April 24, 2008)	(Cartoon courtesy of John Webster)

For more info and Frequently Asked Questions about the 442 Split, please click here ...

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