MAINE, USA — Mainers love a lot of things about their state: the views of Acadia National Park, the endless options for a world-class lobster roll, blueberries, whoopie pies, and of course, our area code.
207 is a number seen on shirts, glasses, and the name of a familiar TV show. 207 is also the only area code in Maine, one of the 11 states that are solo with their three-digit codes.
Phil Bartlett is the Chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission that launched an investigation into the idea of saving the 207 area code.
“The growth of cell phones and more and more people have multiples numbers associated with their house phones which obviously didn’t happen years ago. If no action is taken, we could exhaust the 207 area code," Bartlett said.
Bartlett added phone numbers are grouped in blocks of a thousand numbers.
“If too many of those get used the block is considered contaminated and the block does not get reused," he said.
Large companies and telecom providers use these blocks which results in the contamination.
“Large companies can’t sit on large blocks of numbers that other folks could be taken advantage of," Bartlett added.
The investigation has no timeline but hopes to preserve the 207 symbol for the state.
“(We will) make sure we are doing whatever we can to add more life to the 207 area code for the people of Maine," Bartlett said.
Much like the investigation, the timeline for a new area code is up in the air but Bartlett predicts by 2024-2025 the state would need to add a new area code if action is not taken to preserve it.
There is also no plan for how the code would be decided. Bartlett said splitting up the area code by geography wouldn't work in today's modern society. He also added there isn't a plan or idea of what the area code would be.
While Mainers continue to enjoy their summer with lobster rolls and walks on the beach, they may only have a few more summers to be a part of the "One Area Code State Club."