Utilities Panel Delays Switching 206 Area Code

The state Utilities and Transportation Commission has given telephone customers an extra 90 days to get used to the new 360 area code for Western Washington.

U S West Communications began phasing in the new code earlier this year. The new code covers all of Western Washington outside the Seattle-Tacoma area, which retains the old 206 code.

But the transition wasn’t as smooth as the phone company hoped. A number of businesses and other offices reported their switchboards were not programmed to recognize area codes that don’t have a 1 or 0 as the middle digit. All those codes have been used up, and telephone companies have started assigning others.

During the phase-in, callers trying to reach people in the 360 area code can dial either 360 or 206. That was to have ended May 21, but the UTC decision extends it until mid-August.

UTC Chairwoman Sharon Nelson said the extension is needed to make sure customers get the best service possible.

“We are concerned for Washington state customers who have made their views known,” Nelson said.

Nelson also requested that U S West, GTE and other companies serving the 360 area discuss ways to improve service during the transition. The companies are to report their findings to the UTC in two weeks.

During a public hearing earlier this month, business owners told the commission that when customers call using the new area code, they sometimes get busy signals, recorded messages or silence.