User:Hardworkingbee/favorites/US N11 codes

=N11=

=2-1-1= 2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number reserved in Canada and the United States as an easy-to-remember three-digit telephone number meant to provide quick information and referrals to health and human service organizations.

United States History
For many years New York Telephone (now a unit of Verizon) used 2-1-1 as an automated credit request number for disconnected or mis-dialed calls. This service was in service from the 1970s through the early 2000s.

United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta was the first to introduce a 2-1-1 service in 1997. Many states began implementation plans soon after, aided by the United Way of America in partnership with the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems. On July 20, 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved 2-1-1 for nation-wide use as a short number in the United States along with 5-1-1. In Texas, particularly in the Coastal Bend area, 2-1-1 is also the number to call for elderly and handicapped people needing evacuation assistance in the event of a pending disaster such as a hurricane.

Operation
2-1-1 center hours vary. Many are open 24/7 to refer callers to organizations that provide services in such areas as:

Where available, 2-1-1 is operated by a private non-profit community-service organization, local government or local affiliates of the national organization of the United Way of America. 2-1-1 provides information and referral to callers on where to obtain assistance from local and national social service programs, local and national governmental agencies and local and national non-profit organizations as well as where to volunteer or make a donation locally. Referrals are often given from databases accessed by call specialists. These databases could be housed off site or on site, are often regional, and linked to a specific brand of software used to access and edit database records. To ensure the most up to date referrals are given to callers information in the database should not be older than one year.

Many 2-1-1 centers are exploring Memorandums of Understanding with state and federal governments to facilitate the efficient handling of future disasters. Television or Radio stations could easily tell citizens to call 2-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Call specialist at these centers would be informed of current disaster plans or place to receive help and could then inform the public of the correct course of action. Recently in Florida, Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts and the Gulf Coast region, 2-1-1 centers were instrumental in coordinating with local government officials and providing information to communities before and after local disasters.

United States Availability
As of May 2010, the service is available in 46 states and Washington, D.C.. 21 states have complete 2-1-1 coverage, and it is available in Puerto Rico.

United States Accreditation
The American accrediting body for 2-1-1 centers is the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS). AIRS provides an in-depth accreditation process for 2-1-1 centers. AIRS also certifies 2-1-1 Call Center Representatives as Certified Information and Referral Specialists (CIRS), Certified Information and Referral Specialists for Aging (CIRS-A) and Certified Resource Specialists (CRS) annually. AIRS standards have been created to provide a benchmark for 2-1-1 centers and its staff. The standards regulate nationally how a 2-1-1 centers provides services and how they collect and store information.

AIRS has developed a national taxonomy of human services that provides a standard language for information and referral providers nationally. This taxonomy provides standard definition of terms, an exact coding structure for referrals and search methodology for providing referrals to consumers. More information about the AIRS/Infoline Taxonomy of Human Services can be found at www.211taxonomy.org.

Accredited 2-1-1 centers must have active Memorandums of Understanding with local 9-1-1 service as well as domestic violence providers, elder care providers, mental health providers and local law enforcement to name a few.

The process of implementing 2-1-1
The number 2-1-1 must be captured and approved for assigning through the local telecom companies providing services in the local area. The process of implementing a 2-1-1 service in a community has taken many paths since its beginning in 1997. Some places have a centralized state-wide system while others have decentralized regional networks with different types of affiliations.

In the United States, each implementation is monitored by the national accrediting entity Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) and its local statewide affiliate.

History
Its first use for this purpose was in Baltimore, Maryland, where the service commenced on 2 October 1996. 3-1-1 is intended to connect callers to a call centre that can be the same as the 9-1-1 call center, but with 3-1-1 calls assigned a secondary priority, answered only when no 9-1-1 calls are waiting. This system is intended to extend the system such that true emergency callers are answered quickly, without ringing or busy signals.

The largest 3-1-1 operation in service operates in New York City implemented by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2003.

The CRTC formally reserved the use of 3-1-1 for non-emergency municipal services throughout Canada on 5 November 2004. The first Canadian 3-1-1 service opened in Calgary, Alberta on 18 May 2005.

The 311 code was previously used by some telephone companies for testing purposes. In Alberta, 311 was the ANAC number until 1 April 2005 when this was changed to 958-6111 to make way for the present 3-1-1 service.

In former times, "311" was sometimes used as a fictitious area code in Bell System advertisements depicting telephones; often the phone in the advertisement would bear the specific number "Area Code 311 555-2368." This fictitious phone number was used in the 1979 horror film When a Stranger Calls, in the opening of The Rockford Files, and on two episodes of Mission: Impossible second season, episode 22 entitled "The Killing" on the killers phone and, fourth season, episode 12, entitled "Time Bomb" on a phone at a nuclear plant in a fictitious country. The number 311-555-9845 was used for a radio station hotline in episode 1, season 1 of the TV show A.L.F. This area code is also used as the area code for Sunnyvale, California (which is in reality 408) in the 1983 movie WarGames during the "war dialing" sequence where the main character is searching for a video game company to break into.

It was also used in numerous episode of The Bionic Woman as the private phone number of Jaime Sommers in her coach house.

Operation
3-1-1 service is generally implemented at the local level, and in some cities it is also used for various municipal calls.

Examples of calls intended for 3-1-1:
 * dead animal removal
 * debris in roadway
 * illegal burning
 * non-working streetlamps, parking meters, traffic lights
 * noise complaints
 * potholes, sinkholes and utility holes in streets

United States
3-1-1 is available in several major American cities, including: Akron • Albuquerque • Austin • Baltimore • Birmingham • Charlotte • Chattanooga • Chicago • Columbus, Ohio • Dallas • Denver • Detroit • Hartford • Houston • Kansas City, Missouri • Knoxville • Las Vegas • Laredo • Little Rock • Louisville • Los Angeles • Miami • Milwaukee • Minneapolis • Mobile • Nashville • New York City •Newton, MA• Orlando • Pittsburgh • Philadelphia • Richmond, Virginia • Riverside, California • Rochester • Sacramento • San Antonio • San Francisco • San Jose • Somerville, Massachusetts • Springfield, Massachusetts • Tampa and Washington, D.C..

Limitations
Customers of AT&T's Uverse telephone service cannot make 3-1-1 calls, even in areas where the service is offered.

Usage
In Baltimore, 3-1-1 has been successful in dramatically reducing the cost of city services, but only in conjunction with that city's CitiStat service. Municipal officers of Baltimore do not recommend implementation of 3-1-1 services without first installing CitiStat. CitiStat is essential infrastructure to record and re-direct the service request information received through the 3-1-1 systems.

While Baltimore was the first city to use 311 as a police non-emergency number, in January 1999 Chicago initiated the first comprehensive 3-1-1 system, by providing information and tracking city services from intake to resolution, in addition to taking non-emergency police calls. When the new service was launched, information regarding all city services, service requests, assistance in reaching various city departments and public offices, and a variety of information ranging from information about the city's Blue Bag recycling program to special events schedules could be obtained by calling 3-1-1. This also supplanted the need to remember or find the number (312) 744-5000, which, until then, acted as a switching station for reaching various city departments and employees, as well as Chicago Police non-emergency (dialing this number today directs you to a 3-1-1 center operator from any area code). Since its launch, Chicago 3-1-1 has won numerous national awards, including the [Innovations in American Government Award] from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2003. In addition to providing seamless delivery of city services to residents, the call center serves as a backup to the City's 911 call center.

In New York City, 3-1-1 is used by city officials as one of several sources of measurement and information about the performance of city services. Important dates in the history of New York's 3-1-1 service include December 20, 2005, when it received its record high of 240,000 calls, due to the first day of the 2005 New York City transit strike, and June 20, 2007, when it received its 50 millionth call.

In San Francisco, 3-1-1 is the number for the City and County of San Francisco. Like New York City, it provides information for city services, such as transit information. San Francisco 3-1-1 was implemented in 2007 shortly after the launch of the T Third Street Muni light rail line. However, it has come under substantial criticism of late because the 3-1-1 system charges the financially-strapped Muni system $1.96 for every Muni-related phone call. Some have criticized Mayor Gavin Newsom for stealing Muni funds into the 3-1-1 system. 

In the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 3-1-1 is also used to find lost pets, get answers to questions about taxes, complain about needed roadway maintenance, get information about flood conditions, make non-emergency police reports, and other government services.

Landline telephone companies

 * 1) 411 LDA: local directory assistance. This is where callers can dial 411 and request the Operator to search for a listing in a group of area codes "LATA" local to him or her. For example, the caller lives in area code 630 (Oak Brook, Illinois) and request a listing for a business in area code 312 (Chicago, Illinois). In this case AT&T Illinois bills the call at $1.25 plus taxes.
 * 2) 411 NDA: national directory assistance. This is where callers can dial 411 and request the Operator to search for a listing in an area code not local to him or her. For example, the caller lives in area code 630 (Oak Brook, Illinois) and request a listing for a business in area code 213 (Los Angeles, California). In this case AT&T Illinois bills the call at $1.99 plus taxes.
 * 3) 1 (AC)-555-1212, national directory assistance. This example assumes the caller are in Oak Brook, Illinois (AC 630) and you have MCI as his or her long-distance carrier. For example, the caller is looking for a listing in Los Angeles, California (AC 213) and dial 213-555-1212. In this case MCI bills the call at $3.49 plus taxes.

The telephone companies also have another DA rate class for call completion called DACC. DACC adds another $.50 to $1.00 on top of the cost of a DA call.

Landline telephone directory assistance
4-1-1 landline service has been historically provided by local telephone companies, including those of the former Bell System or subsequent Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs).

Since the 1984 Bell System divestiture, the RBOCs in the United States have priced 4-1-1 use higher to an average of $1.25 USD per call, compared to $0.50 CAD in most of Canada, providing opportunities for competing services in the United States, including the free 1-800-BING-411 and ad-sponsored 1-800-FREE-411.

Wireless telephone directory
In addition to the local and long distance directory services, there is also consumer-choice and privacy-protected "Wireless 411 Service". As specified by the industry, the service will give consumers the choice of including their wireless phone numbers in voice 411. Consumers who choose to opt-in will not have their information disclosed for print, online directories, lists, or telemarketing firms. The service will allow any landline or a wireless phone user to call 411 and be connected to the wireless listing of a person who has chosen to participate in the service. Carriers who make up the industry LLC creating the service include Alltel (now absorbed by Verizon Wireless), AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile.

Some mobile carriers have tended to charge a lot for directory assistance calls placed to 411. Given this, competitive carriers have started to providing free service as long as the customer will listen to an ad played over the phone before receiving his or her requested number (e.g. 1-800-FREE-411)

Implementation of 511 service in the United States
Individual states have the lead role in coordinating 511 deployments. National leadership is provided by the 511 Deployment Coalition. Led by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and including travel information experts from more than 30 organizations, the Coalition has developed voluntary guidelines for state transportation agencies to follow when planning 511 service for their states or regions. Other leading member organizations of the Coalition include the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Active 511 systems in the United States and Canada
Active 511 systems (in order of deployment date) as of January 31, 2010:


 * Cincinnati, Ohio and * Northern Kentucky
 * Nebraska
 * Utah
 * Virginia
 * Arizona
 * Orlando, Florida
 * Minnesota
 * Southeastern Florida
 * Washington State
 * Iowa
 * South Dakota
 * Kentucky statewide
 * San Francisco Bay area
 * Montana
 * Vermont
 * North Dakota


 * Alaska
 * Maine
 * New Hampshire
 * Oregon
 * Kansas
 * North Carolina
 * Sacramento, California and * Northern California
 * Tampa, Florida
 * Colorado
 * Rhode Island
 * Florida statewide, except for the southwest region
 * Idaho
 * Wyoming
 * Tennessee
 * Nevada


 * Jacksonville, Florida
 * Louisiana
 * San Diego
 * Southwestern Florida
 * St. Louis, Missouri
 * California Eastern Sierra
 * Georgia
 * Eastern Massachusetts
 * New Jersey
 * New Mexico
 * Nova Scotia
 * Yukon
 * New York
 * Wisconsin
 * Inland Empire (California)
 * Pennsylvania

Tennessee
Implemented in August 2006, Tennessee 511 uses an automated voice response system. Callers are guided through the menu through a series of requests. Callers can ask for specific roadways or regions, and the system will provide information about traffic incidents, closures, weather, and other important roadway conditions. Travelers have the option of accessing road and travel conditions at TN511.com or through the 511 phone service.

Kentucky
In Kentucky, 511 services cover traffic and weather conditions, and can also be heard on the radio on the AM dial (the Travelers' Information Station) and at 511.ky.gov.

Florida
The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) 511 Traffic Information Service is a free phone and Internet service that provides real-time traffic information on all Florida interstate highways, Florida’s Turnpike and major roadways in the state’s major metropolitan areas. The 511 phone call is available from cell phones or landlines from anywhere within the state. The website, provides traffic information, FDOT camera views, links to transit partners, My Florida 511 Personalized Services and more.

Florida’s 511 underwent a dramatic change in 2009: the integration of five regional systems into one seamless statewide service making it easier than ever for Florida drivers to get real-time traffic information. In addition, system upgrades will allow 511 users to take advantage of the latest technology to personalize their traffic updates and receive customized traffic alerts from 511.

The new Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) delivers local 511 services through technology that is standardized and integrated statewide. The Florida ATIS features the next generation of Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) service, with easier-to-navigate call menus that provide detailed local information. The new IVR is entirely bilingual, offering information in English and Spanish throughout the state.

While 511 services are standardized statewide, local FDOT districts continue to provide traffic updates for the new ATIS. Districts control the quality and quantity of information from their area which is posted on 511 and Fl511.com using SunGuide software.

Technological improvements to Florida’s Statewide 511 include hundreds of additional traffic cameras, thousands of roadside sensors, and more fiber optics to provide fast, accurate reporting of information used for 511 alerts.

Florida’s Statewide 511 service covers all interstate highways in the state, Florida’s Turnpike, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority roadways, Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority roadways and many other major roads throughout the state, adding key roadways in some areas, while focusing on commonly requested highways in other districts.

My Florida 511 allows Florida drivers to set up customized routes and alerts through FL511.com. The 511 system then notifies those drivers when alerts are posted on their personalized routes, through a phone call, e-mail or SMS text message. My Florida 511 users receive their alerts only during the days and times of day they choose.

The Statewide 511 Web site gives quick access to regional traffic conditions and incident reports, including traffic cameras, and allows users to sign up for My Florida 511 personalized services. The Web site features links to transit and travel partners — including transit systems — airports and seaports, and evacuation information.

Georgia
This statewide Georgia Navigator system provides traffic, MARTA/GRTA and other public transport, rideshare, Clean Air Campaign, Atlanta and Savannah airport, Amtrak, Greyhound, weather and tourism information in an interactive voice response (IVR) format. Callers are also given the option of connecting to live operators at the Georgia Department of Transportation's Transportation Management Center in Atlanta. Connecting to operators allows users to report traffic accidents to the Georgia State Patrol or local police or sheriffs, or request motorist assistance from the Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) program. Callers can also connect to adjacent states' 5-1-1 systems, including North Carolina's.

Georgia actually had a system for years before this, using only live operators, and the code *DOT (*368), which could not necessarily be used by those mobile phone users who were roaming from elsewhere, as these codes are specific to each phone company. A local 404 number in metro Atlanta and a toll-free 800 number were used for these and landline calls, and still serve as backup for mobile providers that fail to connect.

New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has implemented a service that helps commuters and travelers access information regarding weather-related road conditions, construction and congestion, via the Web or mobile device 24/7. The site can be found at www.511nh.com. New Hampshire is part of an 8-state consortium that is sharing the cost to design and develop the system.

New York
511 New York, established and administered by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), is a free, one-stop, all-encompassing phone and Web service www.511ny.org offering information on transportation services and conditions throughout New York State. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 511 systems started out primarily as phone services in other states; 511 New York builds upon the success of other systems and includes a comprehensive Internet Web portal and real-time alerts sent to e-mail and mobile devices via 511NY.org. Other hand-held, mobile and in-vehicle electronic devices eventually will be supported. The phone service is an interactive voice system reachable by landline and cellular phones and is operated by a user’s voice or phone keys. A personalized, free subscription service can provide alerts of major incidents and can be customized to provide alerts by region, county and travel corridor. Basic service was launched in the New York City metropolitan area in late 2008. Statewide coverage and more sophisticated services will be added throughout 2009. On 511 New York, you’ll get dynamic information on traffic and weather conditions; a transit trip planner spanning multiple service providers with information on schedules, routes, fares and park-and-ride lots; carpool, vanpool and ride-share referrals; tourism links, bicycling information and more. The traffic information includes congestion, incidents, traffic camera images, travel speeds and times, highway construction work zones and special, planned events. The system offers a critical, single-point information source during transportation emergencies. New York State’s 511 services strive to assist commuters, travelers, tourists and commercial vehicle operators. Its goal is to help travelers make informed choices about their trips; to increase customer satisfaction; and to improve mobility, reliability and safety while reducing transportation’s impact on the environment. 511 New York is groundbreaking because of its extensive transportation information for other adjoining states that are part of the New York City region. Everything is in one easy-to-use portal. The 511 New York service eliminates having to keep many individual phone numbers and Web sites. 511 New York is groundbreaking because its comprehensive multimodal information goes beyond highway data and because its extensive transportation information includes contiguous states that are part of the metro New York region. This true regional service, involving New York’s transportation and transit agencies, partners and neighboring states, was developed through NYSDOT’s leadership with the ultimate goal of becoming the basis of a northeastern United States regional system.

511 NY – “Get Connected to Go” is the umbrella brand of The New York State Department of Transportation for traffic, transit and travel information.

The 511 New York theme line is: Get Connected to Go. The tag line is: New York State’s Official Traffic and Travel Info Source. The credit line is: A Free Service of the New York State Department of Transportation.

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's state wide 511 launched on September 1, 2009. The system provides up to date information on all the states interstate highways.

Wyoming
In the summer of 2007, the original vendor was removed and services were redesigned and improved using Meridian Environmental Technology. The effort to redesign and improve service undertaken [summer of 2007] to revamp WYDOT's 511 Travel Information telephone service is paying benefits this winter, based on recent customer feedback.

Some of the additional features are:
 * Ability to choose neighboring states that provide 511 information
 * Voice recognition, with the option to revert to touchtone keypad input
 * Ability to choose route-specific information or regional summaries
 * Agency capability to include Alerts (Amber, Homeland, customized)

San Francisco
In addition to the phone service, travelers in the San Francisco Bay area can access transit information on a website, which provides information on mass transit schedules and an interactive trip planner, which will provide an optimal routing between a given origin, destination, and optional time constraints. In addition, 511.org provides information on bicycling, ridesharing, and the toll road system Fastrak. 511.org is a service of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and was designed by the transportation engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff, Farradyne (now Telvent Farradyne). The system had a fair amount of controversy when it was announced that it would use FasTrak electronic toll tags to track vehicles as they traversed Bay Area freeways.

In 2006, the Bay Area's transit coordinator signed an $11,000,000 four-year contract with defense contractor Science Applications International Corporation to operate the local 511 system.

San Diego
Users of the San Diego area have access to road, transit, and other information via the phone and web. They can access transit information on a website, which provides information on mass transit schedules and an interactive trip planner, which will provide an optimal routing between a given origin, destination, and optional time constraints. In addition, 511sd.com provides information on bicycling, ridesharing, and the toll road system Fastrak. 511sd.com is a service of the San Diego Association of Governments, and was designed by the company ICx Technologies and PB Farradyne (now Telvent Farradyne ).

Elsewhere in the United States
Similar services are operated in other cities and states; for example, the Minnesota Department of Transportation operates a website for traffic and road condition information. Central Florida is claimed to have the most-used 511 system in the nation, on a per capita basis.

Washington state and Oregon both operate their own 511 system. The Washington state 511 system has an option to transfer to the Oregon 511 system to help users in the Portland metropolitan area to access the right system for them.

Region-specific 511 sites

 * Arizona
 * California - Greater Los Angeles Area
 * California - Sacramento Area
 * California - San Diego Area
 * California - San Francisco Bay Area
 * Florida
 * Florida - Tampa Bay Area
 * Florida - Southwest Florida Area
 * Florida - Jacksonville Florida Area
 * Florida - Southeast Florida Area
 * Georgia
 * Iowa
 * Kansas
 * Kentucky
 * Louisiana
 * Massachusetts
 * Minnesota
 * Montana
 * New Jersey
 * New York
 * Nebraska
 * Nevada
 * North Carolina
 * North Dakota
 * Northern New England – Maine
 * Northern New England – New Hampshire
 * Northern New England – Vermont
 * Oregon
 * Southwest Ohio - Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky
 * Quebec
 * South Dakota
 * Tennessee
 * Virginia
 * Washington

General information

 * US Department of Transportation 511 website, a source of official information
 * 511 Deployment Coalition, a United States 511 advocacy group

=6-1-1=

For customers of some telephone companies in Canada and in the U.S., 611 is the abbreviated dialing telephone number used to report a problem with telephone service, or with a payphone. Many wireless phone providers also use 611 or *611 as a general customer service access number; most do not count calls to 611 against the minutes in subscribers' calling plans, or assess any extra charges for 611 calls. A service from RANGER Wireless Solutions exists called 611 Roaming Service, which allows wireless phone customers to dial 611 and they will be connected to their own customer service department regardless of the network to which they are connected. In 2010, Dial611.com was launched as a consumer site to educate wireless users about the free 611 service from their mobile carrier.

The 611 number is not officially assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), but both have chosen not to disturb the assignment as it is generally recognized across the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA).

In some localities (including Calgary, Alberta), 611 was used to report problems with landline telephone service. 811 was used to report problems with cellular telephone service but this has since been discontinued.