In Our View: Get Ready to Hang Ten

At least we no longer have rotary dialing.

You see, for all of you youngsters out there, telephones used to come with a finger wheel that would have to be turned for each numeral in a phone number and then would spin back to the starting position. Hence, the word “dialing.” Hence, a reason to curse a neighbor who had a couple 9s or 0s in their number; you could walk to their house quicker than you could place a call.

We know, we know, this sounds positively primitive. And there’s more: Many of us can remember when phones didn’t have cameras! And you couldn’t carry them around, you know, because they were attached to the wall!

So, while we confess to not having thought about rotary phones in probably 40 years or so, that ancient technology came to mind this week. The genesis for this reminiscence was news that Western Washington is going to require 10-digit dialing beginning July 29. That means we will have to include the area code when dialing a number — even though we aren’t actually dialing these days. In truth, most of us are simply pushing one or two buttons or speaking the number into those wonders of technology that serve as modern phones.

Therefore, the change will be an afterthought for most people. Well, maybe not the Park family of Clark County. As an article in The Columbian detailed, the Parks are eager for 10-digit dialing. Their number is the same as a telemarketer that often canvasses the region — but with a different area code. So, the Parks frequently receive return calls from annoyed customers they had not even called. “I try to explain that it’s not us that called them,” Jim Parks said. “A lot of them ignore it, chew you out, and hang up.”

While the Parks would benefit from a “do not call” list that actually is enforced against overeager telemarketers, they also are looking forward to 10-digit dialing that requires an area code and might reduce the number of angry calls they receive. For most of us, the change will not be so impactful, but it will reflect a remarkable transformation in telephone technology over the decades.

With the rise of cellphones — and home alarms and medical devices and even, still, the occasional fax machine — there has been an explosion in the need for phone numbers and new area codes. Some 20 years ago, Western Washington had two area codes; by the end of this summer, it will have five. Not long ago, Oregon has one area code for the entire state, and now it has four.

The 360 code, which covers much of Western Washington, including Clark County, will have an overlay 564 area code beginning Aug. 28. That is what will require 10-digit dialing, as Anna Gill of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission explained to The Columbian: “It’s essential, really, when you have two area codes that are active in the same area. If you think about it, you could have a 360 number and your neighbor could have a 564 number. Without having that area code, your call couldn’t be completed because it didn’t know which line to go to.”

Yes, even today’s smartphones aren’t really that smart, in spite of the fact that you can play “Minecraft” on them. They sometimes require assistance in directing a call to the desired recipient.

Not that we’re complaining. We’re just happy we no longer have rotary dials and don’t have to worry about the finger sprains that would come along with 10-digit dialing.