June 4, 2022

Hallowell, Maine - The Maine Public Utilities Commission received notice from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) that the life of Maine's 207 area code has been extended through the end of 2025 and relief planning efforts have been postponed.

Previously, the 207 area code was expected to exhaust in the fourth Quarter of 2024, prompting a number of steps, including an investigation into Verizons forecasting process for numbering resources.

"Maines 207 area code was dwindling rapidly, but through the diligent efforts of Commission staff in the telecommunications division and others, we have significantly extended its life," said Chair Philip L. Bartlett II. This provides us with some breathing room, giving us an opportunity to extend this timeline even further through additional efforts. We will continue to do what we can to preserve Maines single area code for as long as possible.

Those additional efforts include: Returning unused numbering blocks to the pool through an upcoming Commission Investigation; Working collaboratively with Consolidated Communications to reduce the number of rate centers that are driving some of the area code requests thus allowing other providers to tap into under-utilized numbering inventory; and Investigating the forecasting practices of companies in addition to Verizon that may have unnecessarily contributed to an earlier exhaust date.

In 2021, the Commission petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to direct the NANPA to report on the technical, operational, and cost requirements to implement number optimization measures in the 207 area code. The FCC requested that an FCC working group on numbering report back by August 2022 regarding the feasibility of implementing new number conservation measures such as individual telephone numbering pooling proposed by Maine and other states. To date, Commission efforts have resulted in the return of more than 600,000 numbers to the numbering pool from unused or slightly used blocks.

The NANPA number exhaustion and prediction reports can be found at https://nationalnanpa.com/reports/reports_npa.html.

About the Commission The Maine Public Utilities Commission regulates electric, telephone, water and gas utilities to ensure that Maine citizens have access to safe and reliable utility service at rates that are just and reasonable for all ratepayers while also helping achieve reductions in state greenhouse gas emissions. Commission programs include Maine Enhanced 911 Service, gas safety and Dig Safe. Philip L. Bartlett, II serves as Chair, Randall Davis and Patrick Scully serve as Commissioners.

Learn more about the Commission at https://www.maine.gov/mpuc/.

CONTACT: Susan Faloon, Media Liaison CELL: 207-557-3704 EMAIL: susan.faloon@maine.gov