 One of the most controversial issues to hit the West Virginia Telecommunications industry in a long time is the issue of a new geographical area code to be based in northern and eastern West Virginia. FiberNet was the first telecommunications company to file a petition requesting the PSC to reconsider its decision to assign a new area code based geography rather than an overlay. As a company, we felt it was in the best interests of our customers and other West Virginia businesses, as well as residential consumers to reach out to the PSC and be a voice for West Virginians. Our company feels very strongly that an overlay plan would cause much less disruption to our customers and would make sense for the entire state. Obviously, every single entity, including many of our own customers would have experienced a dramatic, unnecessary change. Businesses would have had to change their advertising, signage, literature, letterhead, brochures – everything – that had their number. Residents would have had to reprogram all their numbers, state agencies and the entire West Virginia University community would also have had to change. Steve Hamula, our Director of Regulatory Affairs, led the effort and we are proud to have been the first the file our petition. It again shows our commitment to being more than a phone service to our customers, but to be true partners in the future of our state. We will continue to be more proactive in the government realm as strong advocates for our customers and our employees. Below is a Huntington Herald-Dispatch article on the issue and as you can see FiberNet is leading the way to request our state’s Public Service Commission to change course. Sincerely, Dave ---------------------------------------------------------------- FiberNet and AT&T both filed formal petitions for reconsideration with the PSC Friday afternoon, according to commission spokeswoman Sarah Robertson. Robertson said others may still file before the close of business Friday, and that the commission will take up the petitions next week. “There’s not going to be any decision today,” she said. In its petition, FiberNet takes issue with the plan that would give a new area code to northern counties and the two panhandles. The company favors an “overlay” option, under which new customers throughout West Virginia would be given the new area code. “An overlay has comparatively little impact on customers, is easier to implement operationally, and unlike a geographic split, an overlay does not create a perception of winners and losers,” says FiberNet’s filing, which was signed by Charleston lawyer Steven Hamula. AT&T’s petition was not immediately available, but Robertson confirmed that the commission had received it. Calls to AT&T and FiberNet were not immediately returned Friday. The overlay option, which has been implemented in at least 17 states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, was also favored by Gov. Joe Manchin, who issued a statement earlier Friday. When the PSC voted on the plan last month, it said its preferred the geographic approach because it would make it easier for callers to “recognize the general geographic location of a telephone number.” If the PSC upholds its decision, it would take about 15 months to put the new area code into effect.
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