By HOI ABC
BLOOMINGTON – A new area code is coming to central Illinois as an overlay code in the 309 region.
The Illinois Commerce Commission says the addition of the 861 area code will be available for assignment sometime late 2022 or early 2023 as the number of assignable telephone numbers with a 309 area code is dwindling.
The number of assignable numbers with a 309 area code is expected to deplete during the 4th quarter of 2023, according to an ICC release.
With the overlay, no existing numbers are changed. However, because the new area code functions within the same boundaries are the existing code, all calls must be completed by dialing the full, 10-digit (including area code) phone number. Currently, subscribers within the 309 area code can complete local calls by dialing only the 7-digit phone number.
In July of 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) issued an order designating “988″ as the new, 3-digit, nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline. This code is scheduled to go into effect in July of 2022.
In order for the 988 code to function properly, all area codes that already have “988″ as a working prefix must convert to 10-digit dialing. With this change, 7-digit local dialing will cease, and the benefit of a geographic split versus an overlay is eliminated.
As such, the only remaining means of supplying new phone numbers to a region anticipating exhaust, is to assign a new, overlay code, the ICC said.
The 861 area code will be assigned to new customers requesting local phone service, cellular and paging services, and alarms.
