Area code 917 is a
telephone
A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
area code
A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...
in the
North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is an integrated telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1, World Numbering Zone ...
for the entirety of
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. It is an
overlay code to all numbering plan areas (NPAs) in the city, and was intended to serve
cellular,
pager
A pager, also known as a beeper or bleeper, is a Wireless communication, wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays Alphanumericals, alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response p ...
, and
voicemail applications in the city. The restriction was subsequently ruled impermissible by the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) which
grandfathered that use in New York City. Area code 917 is also assigned to landlines predominantly in Manhattan, to relieve the shortage of numbers there.
History
The original area code for all of New York City's boroughs was
212, established with the North American Numbering Plan in 1947. In 1984, the numbering plan area (NPA) was divided by splitting Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island into a separate numbering plan area with
area code 718, reducing 212 to only Manhattan and the Bronx.
In 1990, The
New York Telephone Company wanted to assign a new area code (917) to all cellphones and pagers in Manhattan and all telephone lines in the Bronx, to relieve number shortages in Manhattan, but the
New York Public Service Commission denied the request.
[McFadden, Robert D]
"917 Area Code Is Proposed For the Bronx"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. June 5, 1990.
Instead, in 1992, numbering plan area 212 was reduced to Manhattan, with the exception of
Marble Hill, which, along with the Bronx, was integrated into 718. All boroughs were provided with the additional area code 917, arranged in an overlay plan.
Introduced on February 4, 1992, area code 917 was the first overlay area code in the North American Numbering Plan. When it was established, all cellphones in New York City were switched to 917, freeing up telephone numbers for additional landlines.
Shortly after the establishment of the 917 code, the FCC ruled that restriction of area codes to particular types of service was prohibited, but the instance of 917 remained exempt.
[ Published in 17 FCC Rcd at 286, para. 75.]
See also
*
List of New York area codes
*
List of NANP area codes
References
External links
North American Numbering Plan AdministratorWhitepages Area code Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Removed main nyc category, article is already in 'communications in nyc' category with other area codes
917
917
Communications in New York City
Telecommunications-related introductions in 1992
1992 establishments in New York City