Utilities authority won't OK numbers p. 41

By: Editorial Staff

THE NORTH CAROLINA Utilities Commission has rejected a request by the state's largest newspapers and Southern Bell to allow use of three-digit phone numbers for information services.
The commission said the public interest would not be served by releasing the numbers, called N11 codes, for commercial purposes.
The decision is a setback for many North Carolina newspapers that wanted to use the codes to offer local telephone information services ranging from classified listings to hourly news updates.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing to us," said Raleigh lawyer Hugh Stevens Jr., who represents the North Carolina Press Association. "It seems to me they threw up all these speculative negatives and ignored some proven positives where this has been done."
Supporters of the N11 request included the Durham Herald-Sun, Charlotte Observer, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News & Record, Asheville Citizen-Times and Raleigh News & Observer.
Some N11 codes are reserved for public services ? 411 for local telephone number information, 611 for phone repair service in some markets and 911 for emergencies ? but the other codes remain unused.
The commission in its order said the potential public service value of N11 numbers was too great to risk losing. It also said that because the Federal Communications Commission is looking at the assignment of N11 numbers nationally, a state decision at this time might prove hasty.
Commercial use of N11 codes has been permitted elsewhere. Florida and Georgia already have allowed Southern Bell's parent company, BellSouth Corp., to collaborate with Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc. in using N11 dialing.
Telephone carriers who objected to Southern Bell's N11 request said they would be willing to help North Carolina newspapers provide information services using seven-digit dialing.