Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995                   TAG: 9507200044
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT                                LENGTH: Medium

`721' FRANKLIN PREFIX ADDED TO SERVICE AREA

The trio of Franklin County telephone exchanges are part of a developing trend: callers either want, or are interested in, toll-free service to the Roanoke area.

The 721 Burnt Chimney exchange - which covers a large part of the Smith Mountain Lake area - will be added to the Roanoke and Stone Mountain service areas Aug. 1.

County Administrator Macon Sammons said customer bills will increase $3.48 for the Roanoke service and 98 cents for local calls to Stone Mountain, located on the Bedford County side of the lake.

After a ballot was sent out with monthly phone bills several months ago, 79 percent of customers whose phone numbers have a 721 prefix who responded voted in favor of the change, Sammons said.

The Burnt Chimney vote has spurred residents in Boones Mill to start a drive to get their 334 exchange added to the Roanoke calling area as well, Sammons said.

A petition signed by at least 5 percent of Boones Mill customers - a percentage required by the State Corporation Commission to consider a request - was submitted in January.

To provide town residents more information on the process, Sammons said a meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 31 at the Boones Mill Baptist Church.

If the town's phone customers later vote to approve the change, a $5.22 increase per phone bill is proposed, he said.

Sammons also said there's talk of trying to get Rocky Mount's 483 telephone exchange added to the Roanoke calling area, but no petition has been submitted to the SCC.

Assistant County Administrator David Laurrell said statistics show that Boones Mill phone customers use the Roanoke calling area twice as much as those in Rocky Mount's 483 exchange.