Mandatory 10-digit dialing goes into effect Sunday
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – It will soon be time to check how you are dialing your calls.
The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, announced last year that full 10-digit dialing must be done for all calls starting this month.
In 2020 the FCC adopted an order approving the designation of 988 as the preface for the existing National Suicide Prevention hotline.
Implementation does apply to Alaska and requires all utility providers to change from a seven-digit code to a ten-digit code.
The Commission said that also one of the reasons for changing to 10-digit local dialing is to avoid the need for people to change their telephone numbers.
If a person is calling someone Alaska, it would require 907 and then the phone number.
If an individual Dials 7-digits for a local call, a recording will play saying the call cannot be completed as dialed.
Steven Jones, Media Contact for the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, spoke on things to consider for people that have systems such as fax machines, Internet, Security, or making calls out of offices
“Make sure that those are now programmed with the 907 area code so that it does complete the call, there’s a lot of things that that people have that don’t don’t realize it, whether it be call forwarding or voicemail services,” he said. “On October 24th, you want to make sure that that takes place or the call may not go through.”
People looking to make long-distance calls will continue to dial 1, plus the area code, and then telephone number.
