LV keeping 702 area code

Thursday, Feb. 5, 1998 | 1:44 a.m.

Northern Nevada is getting a new area code, the Public Utilities Commission agreed today.

Las Vegas residents won't have to worry about having to change business cards, letterheads and other forms that include telephone numbers following the unanimous decision by the board to order a new area code for all of the state except Clark County and a small pocket of users in Pahrump.

Commissioners determined that because most of the state's phone lines -- 3 million of the total 5 million -- are in Clark County, it made more sense to make the change in the rest of the state.

State officials have submitted an exchange of 711 to federal regulators for consideration for the new area code, but a determination of whether that number will be accepted isn't expected until later this year.

Once the new area code is implemented, callers will be able to use it on a voluntary basis, beginning around Dec. 12. By May 15, 1999, callers would be notified of the new area code by recording if they called using the old code and by Oct. 9, 1999, callers would be required to make calls through the new code with the recording being removed.

Several hearings were conducted on the change. Northern Nevadans made the loudest protests.

The growth of Southern Nevada's population was clearly the reason for the decision.

It is estimated there are nearly 1.2 million people in Clark County and forecasters predict the population will grow to 2 million within a decade.