MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) has assigned the management of the state’s 5-1-1 and 8-1-1 phone numbers. The PSC designated the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) as the entity overseeing 5-1-1 and the state’s One Call Center (a/k/a Diggers Hotline) as the user of 8-1-1.
“These abbreviated phone numbers will play a vital role in the state’s public safety programs,” said PSC Chairperson Dan Ebert. “Today’s decision takes us one step closer to providing real-time highway information and conditions, information about the nation’s AMBER Alert system and an easy-to-remember option to access the state’s utility locating services.”
Under rules developed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), telecommunications providers are required to reserve these abbreviated phone numbers. Since the adoption of the rules, the FCC has designated three-digit numbers for specific services and has allowed each state to assign these numbers to their respective responsible organizations. The emergency number, 9-1-1, is an example of the great success of this system. In recent years, Wisconsin has also adopted 2-1-1 for community information and referral services, allowing citizens a one-stop-shop to a variety of health, community and social services information.
“Traveler information systems, specifically 5-1-1, have demonstrated significant economic benefit throughout the country,” said Peter Rafferty, Program Manager with the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Lab. “The deployment of the system will offer substantial time savings and safety improvements, while alerting travelers to closures, hazardous conditions, and AMBER Alerts for anyone living or traveling in Wisconsin.”
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“Diggers Hotline appreciates the efforts of the PSC in implementing 8-1-1 in Wisconsin,” said Bennet Zweifel, Vice President of Operations at Diggers Hotline. “Our goal is to protect both the general public and the underground facilities themselves – safety is our top priority. 8-1-1 joins other existing methods we have for filing a locate request including our website, fax, our 800 number, and other electronic methods. 8-1-1 provides another, easy-to-remember way for Wisconsin excavators and consumers to contact us.”
For more information about WisDOT and Diggers Hotline’s adoption of these statewide numbers, please visit the PSC’s web site at http://psc.wi.gov. Type the case numbers into the boxes provided on the homepage or click on the Electronic Regulatory Filing System button. The case number for WisDOT’s request is 5-TN-104 and Diggers Hotline’s is 5-TN-105.
WisDOT is responsible for planning, building and maintaining Wisconsin’s highways. The agency shares in the costs and responsibility of building and operating the state’s transportation systems – from highways to public transit and from bicycle to pedestrian facilities. As of December 2006, there were 32 5-1-1 systems activated and over 62 million calls made nationwide. Wisconsin is proceeding with the design and integration for 5-1-1 and expects to have the statewide system deployed by fall 2008. For more information about WisDOT, visit their website at: http://dot.wi.gov.
Diggers Hotline is a not-for-profit company that helps Wisconsin citizens locate buried utility lines that may interfere with excavation projects. State law requires that citizens and businesses contact Diggers Hotline three working days before disturbing the soil. The 8-1-1 system is currently available in some areas around the state. The system should be fully functional throughout the state by the middle of next month. For more information about Diggers Hotline, visit their website at: http://www.diggershotline.com.
