502 area code is getting full; PSC looking for options from public

Public meeting will be held during the month of June

(Story Courtesy of Kentucky Today)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is planning to hold a series of meetings across central Kentucky next month to receive public input on options for addressing the shortage of new numbers available in the 502 area code.

The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) notified Kentucky that the 502 area code would exhaust available phone numbers by the third quarter of 2027. NANPA submitted five relief alternatives but recommended an all-service distributed overlay of the 502-area code with a new overlay area code. A new area code must be created in northwestern Kentucky prior to the number exhaustion date, and the PSC must hold public informational hearings throughout the 502 area code region.

The public meetings, all of which begin at 6 p.m., will be held June 2 at the Nelson County Fiscal Courtroom in Bardstown, June 3 at the Scott County Fiscal Courtroom in Georgetown, June 5 at Jefferson Community & Technical College Southwest Campus  in Louisville, June 16 at the Carroll County Fiscal Courtroom in Carrollton, and June 17 at the Public Service Commission offices in Frankfort.

PSC Chair Angie Hatton said the Commission is committed to an open process as it considers the creation of Kentucky’s sixth area code.

“We want to hear from the telecommunications industry, from businesses that might be affected by the change, and from area code 502 residents,” she said. “We seek public input so that we will have a full understanding of the issues before we make a decision that may have a significant impact on the economy and on people’s daily lives.”

New area codes can be established in one of two ways: geographic split or overlay. Until the last new area code implementation, the geographic split was the norm in Kentucky. However, a new area code also can be created as an “overlay” on an existing area code which utilizes a new area code on all new numbers in an existing geographic area. This option then requires 10-digit dialing for local calls.

Documents in the 502 area code case can be found at https://psc.ky.gov/Case/ViewCaseFilings/2024-00333.