The Maine Public Utilities Commission said Nov. 25 that it approved large-scale rate center consolidation of Maine’s largest telecommunications provider, Consolidated Communications Northern New England Company, LLC. 

The Commission opened an investigation into the consolidation in January 2023 to determine the feasibility of such an effort, noting that rate center consolidation represented an achievable solution to extend the life of the 207 area code for years to come. Area code 207 was established in 1947.

Consolidation would combine 135 calling areas into one company-wide rate center. The result would reduce demand for numbering resources and allow telephone providers to use more existing resources.   

“This is by far the most significant step to date in our efforts to preserve Maine’s beloved area code,” said Chair Philip L. Bartlett II, in a news release. “Previous efforts by the Commission have resulted in an extension of eight years from the predicted exhaust date. This effort could potentially extend that date for decades.” 

Control of rate centers was originally assigned to what are known as incumbent local exchange carriers, or “ILECs.”

ILECs are the historic monopoly providers of land-line telephone service, the PUC said. Each ILEC’s monopoly service territory consisted of a given number of rate centers and these rate centers constituted the geographic service territory of each ILEC.

Each of Maine’s 249 rate centers is controlled by one of Maine’s 24 remaining ILECs.

Maine’s largest ILEC is Consolidated. All telecommunications providers, including large wireless providers, can request telephone numbers in any rate center based on the demand.

Maine is not the first state to undergo rate-center consolidation, but this would be the largest consolidation of its kind in the nation and is expected to serve as a model for other states, the PUC said.

Consolidation is not expected to be overly burdensome on providers and was determined to be in the public interest. The alternative to rate-center consolidation would be the addition of a new area code. 

In October 2019, The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) told the Commission that Maine would need a new area code by the third quarter of 2024 and that the Commission would need to begin the process of assigning a new area code. Since then, efforts by the Commission’s telecommunications division staff successfully extended Maine’s area code by 12 years, with today’s decision expected to extend it even further.  

More information can be found on the Commission website.

About the Commission

The Maine Public Utilities Commission regulates electric, telephone, water and gas utilities to ensure that Maine citizens have access to safe and reliable utility service at rates that are just and reasonable for all ratepayers while also helping achieve reductions in state greenhouse gas emissions.  Commission programs include Maine Enhanced 911 Service, gas safety and Dig Safe.  Philip L. Bartlett, II serves as Chair, Patrick Scully and Carolyn Gilbert serve as Commissioners.

Learn more about the Commission at https://www.maine.gov/mpuc/.