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On March 10, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of 811 as a national call-before-you-dig telephone number to interface with the nations’ 62 one call centers. As a result, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has been assigned to develop a national campaign to promote the awareness of 811. The CGA is a 1,200 member inter-industry group that promotes the safety of underground facilities including gas, pipelines, power, telecommunications and other types of facilities,
The United States is currently served by approximately 62 separate and distinct one-call centers. One call centers often operate independently of each other and within different regulatory or political environments, as well as different state laws. In certain circumstances, states may have more than a single one-call center.
One call centers currently receive more than 20 million calls annually. Each center receives calls through existing local and toll-free numbers from excavators who intend to excavate in the area served by the one call center. Currently, each call center promotes local and 800 numbers within their community. With approximately 72 one-call centers across the country this equates to 62 different 800 numbers, as well as local numbers in some centers. Homeowners, government officials, professional excavators and utility companies use these one call centers as a way to notify affected utilities in the area of their intent to dig. The utility companies then mark or locate the approximate location of buried utilities at the proposed excavation site.
One call centers depend on excavators to contact them before starting the utility protection process. If excavators dig without calling, underground facilities go unprotected. By making access easier to the one call centers by the simple 811 number, excavators will call more often and prevent underground facility damage, service disruption and reduce the risk of injury or death to excavators and the surrounding public.
The implementation of 811 is meant to minimize confusion of which local or 800 number to call by providing and easy three-digit number to remember. It is expected that 811 will not replace the current local and 800 one call center number(s), but increase the number of calls placed to know what’s below before digging.
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