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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1998
Survey: Most firms oppose new area code
Dropping 512 would cost businesses, alliance is told
By JEFFREY TOMICH
Staff WriterTwo-thirds of Corpus Christi businesses that responded to a survey say a change in the city's area code could put a dent in their profits, according to the Greater Corpus Christi Business Alliance.
The alliance asked its 1,590 members in an unscientific survey how the proposal to change the 512 area code in Corpus Christi would affect them. Of 268 responses, 82 percent oppose the plan and 66 percent said it would negatively affect their bottom lines.
``I think this is a big deal to businesses in the area,'' said Blakely Fernandez, director of governmental affairs and business services for the alliance. ``The biggest issue, I think, is that it's going to cost small businesses a considerable amount of money.''
Industry officials expect the 512 area code to run out of numbers in 1999 because of the proliferation of cellular phones, fax machines and computer modems.
In May, the state Public Utility Commission tentatively approved a plan giving the 512 area code to Austin and assigning Corpus Christi a new area code.
Local officials filed a motion opposing the plan a month later and commissioners agreed to set a hearing to determine if they should go ahead with the plan, make changes or develop a new area code relief plan.
That hearing will be in early October, said agency spokeswoman Katy Bohuslav. A site hasn't been determined.
While nothing has been decided yet, some area business owners are already chafing at the changes a new area code would bring.
``It'll have more of a negative impact on businesses than individuals because businesses will have to redo all of their forms and all of their advertising,'' said Tim Lyons, co-owner of B&T Rentals in Corpus Christi.
Lyons, whose grandparents started the business 60 years ago when phone numbers were just four digits, estimates that new envelopes, invoices, price lists and other forms with B&T's phone number on them will cost thousands of dollars.
Corpus Christi developer Leon Loeb Jr. has the same concerns.
``We're not ordering any calendars for next year until we see what the answer is,'' Loeb said.
Besides the cost, switching area codes would cause other problems already experienced in other large Texas cities that have recently been assigned new area codes.
``It's a matter of convenience,'' Loeb said. ``I think all of us who do business outside the South Texas area will find it confusing, just like it's confusing for us to reach our friends in Dallas.''
Fernandez said many business owners and managers have volunteered to testify before the PUC or at least write letters in the city's grassroots attempt to fight Austin and keep the 512 area code.
Others have made small donations to help the city offset the cost of hiring a lawyer to represent Corpus Christi at the hearing.
Less than $1,000 has been pledged. Fernandez, however, is of the opinion that any contribution by small firms is symbolic of the importance of the issue, since most say an area code switch will cost them money.
Industry calculations show that if the Austin region keeps 512, there would be enough telephone numbers to last through 2004. If the Coastal Bend kept 512, phone numbers would last through 2011.
Local officials think their best argument is that the 512 area code would last longer in the Coastal Bend, which has fewer telephone lines than Austin.
``It's not going to last in Austin for long,'' Fernandez said, ``whereas Corpus would be able to hang onto 512.''
The 512 area code includes about 763,000 telephone lines in the Austin area, which includes Georgetown, San Marcos, Bastrop, Lampasas and Taylor. There are about 492,000 lines in the Corpus Christi area, which includes communities such as Victoria, Refugio and Kingsville.
Fernandez and others cast the attempt to wrestle 512 away from Austin -- home to the Legislature and state agencies -- as a David vs. Goliath battle.
``I don't think we've got the kind of clout that Austin does,'' Lyons said. ``But it's like the lottery; you can't win if you don't play.''
Even if efforts to keep the 512 area code in the Coastal Bend aren't successful, local officials hope Corpus Christi can negotiate a longer transition period.
It normally takes about six months to implement new area codes. For three months, customers can use either the former area code or the new one. For the next three months, callers hear a message that gives the new code and says the area code has changed.
Because of Corpus Christi's tourism industry, the plan calls for letting callers dial 512 or the new area code until Aug. 15, 1999.
Not all Corpus Christi businesses see changing area codes as a negative. Of the few firms that favor a new area code, one is a marketing company that sees it as another opportunity to call on its customers, Fernandez said.
``I guess they see the glass as half full.''Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web