BEFORE THE WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
                           
In the Matter of the Investigation Into 
the Issue of Rate Center Consolidation


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	)	DOCKET NO. UT-991627
		THIRD SUPPLEMENTAL ORDER 
		APPROVING INITIAL RATE 
		CENTER CONSOLIDATION 
		PLAN

                  The Washington Exchange Carrier Association (WECA) is an 
association of local exchange companies (ILECs) that operates under Commission 
regulation. At its November 16, 1999 open meeting, the Commission directed WECA 
to initiate an industry investigation into possible ways of conserving 
telephone numbers in the state. The WECA docket was to look broadly at number 
conservation opportunities and was to focus first on the consolidation of rate 
centers that may have become redundant with the expansion of local calling 
areas over time. Rate centers are geographic areas used by the 
telecommunications industry to route and rate telephone calls.
                  WECA, after many industry meetings involving incumbent local 
exchange companies, competitive local exchange companies, and wireless 
companies, on June 23, 2000 submitted a report in its WECA Docket 99-01 
recommending that the Commission adopt the proposed rate center consolidations 
found in the attached exhibits. 
                  The purpose of number conservation is to reduce the waste of 
telephone number prefixes. Telephone companies typically assign one prefix, 
which has 10,000 numbers, to each rate center. With multiple companies 
assigning prefixes to multiple rate centers, hundreds of thousands of numbers 
can be wasted serving rate centers having fewer than 10,000 lines. The 
consolidation of rate centers at this date will not eliminate the need for 
another area code in the 360 area, but it can postpone the date at which a new 
area code is required. It also will enable more efficient number utilization in 
the future. 
        
                 WECA's Report includes a proposal that addresses 28 rate 
centers served by U S WEST Communications and GTE Northwest. Under the 
proposal, those 28 rate centers would be consolidated into seven. The 
recommended consolidations are set out in Exhibit 1 for US WEST and Exhibit 2 
for GTE Northwest. The basis for selecting these areas are identity of calling 
scope and identity of local exchange rates. 
                  The proposed rate center consolidations have been presented 
to the E911 community for their review and the original proposals were modified 
to take into account concerns for the efficient delivery of E911 Service.
                  The rate center consolidations proposed by WECA on June 23 
represent a good first step in the industry's effort to update its geographic 
rate centers to match the current pattern of local calling areas. In addition 
to identifying these specific consolidations, the WECA process has allowed the 
industry to address broader issues such as whether rate center consolidations 
can involve more than one incumbent local exchange company and whether they 
present problems for the E911 system.
                  Having accomplished this first round of consolidations, the 
industry should now continue to pursue further rate center consolidation 
opportunities. For example, the GTE- Northwest should examine its rate centers 
in Snohomish and Skagit counties and should move quickly to implement any that 
appear feasible. It is particularly important that rate centers within the 360 
area code be closely examined, since the industry is currently rationing 
prefixes in that area code. Commission staff should work closely with companies 
to identify further consolidation opportunities, examine their feasibility, and 
achieve whatever regulatory approvals might be required for their 
implementation. 
ORDER
                  The Commission approves the rate center consolidations 
proposed in the Washington Exchange Carrier Association report dated June 23, 
2000 and the Commission directs US WEST Communications, Inc. and GTE Northwest 
Incorporated to proceed with implementation of the rate center consolidations 
contained in the recommendation.
                  DATED at Olympia, Washington, and effective this day of  
June, 2000.
WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
                                                     CAROLE J. WASHBURN, 
Secretary                                    
                                                     
EXHIBIT 1
WASHINGTON RATE CENTER CONSOLIDATIONS - US WEST
CURRENT RATE CENTER                   PROPOSED RATE CENTER 
NAME                                               NAME
ELK                                                       
ELK-GREENBLUFF         
GREEN BLUFF
CLE ELUM                                              CLE ELUM
EASTON
PORT ANGELES                                    PORT ANGELES
SEQUIM


           EXHIBIT 2

 WASHINGTON RATE CENTER CONSOLIDATIONS - GTE NORTHWEST INCORPORATED




CURRENT RATE CENTER    PROPOSED RATE CENTER 
NAME       NAME


CASHMERE       WENATCHEE 
CHELAN/MANSON
ENTIAT
LEAVENWORTH
WENATCHEE


MANSFIELD       DOUGLASCO
EAST WENATCHEE
WATERVILLE


FAIRFIELD       ROCKFORD
LATAH
ROCKFORD



ACME        WHATCOMCTY
BLAINE/BIRCH BAY
CUSTER
DEMING
EVERSON
FERNDALE
LAUREL
LYNDEN
MAPLE FALLS
SUMAS
BELLINGHAM (US WEST RATE CENTER)