You Too Can Be 212

Thanks to an FCC petition from Vonage .

The next time you get a call from area code 212, it might be from Manhattan — Kansas. The sacred 212 area code, for generations synonymous with New York cool, is slowly making its way across the country following a petition by Internet phone provider Vonage. The company last month asked the Federal Communications Commission to free up a national pool of unused numbers normally distributed by regional middlemen — and sever the link between geography and area codes. Coveted 212 numbers normally become available only when their holders move away or die, when businesses fail or when carriers bite the dust.

Several years ago I was assigned a 212 number for the landline that came with my cable package.  The Time Warner rep had never had a 212 number pop up in her entire time working there.