THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507270497
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY CARTER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
If you're looking for a neighbor's number in the telephone book, there is a pretty good chance you won't find it.
That's because up to a third of households in areas served by Bell Atlantic prefer to remain incognito.
According to the regional phone company, about 18 percent of its residential subscribers ask that their number not be published in directories or given out by operators. The number drops to 16 percent when business listings are counted.
Virginia has the lowest rate of unpublished numbers in the region: 11 percent for residential and business customers, and 18 percent for residents only.
New Jersey is the most anti-social state in Bell Atlantic's six-state service area. It has the highest total of unpublished numbers: 20 percent. Washington, with a large concentration of politicians and government officials, has the highest number of residential unpublished numbers: 31 percent.
Bell Atlantic has 2.9 million access lines in Virginia and 19 million in its service area, which includes Delaware, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. About 16 percent of all of its subscribers and 18 percent of residential listings aren't published.
No one seems to know for sure why so many households keep their telephone numbers a secret. It could be that some folks are growing tired of solicitations from telemarketers. Others may want privacy, security or simply anonymity, says Irving Taylor, Bell Atlantic area manager.
Keeping your number out of the book is also a way of staying off mailing lists or out of the sights of survey takers. Phone books are a key source of names for advertising promotions.
Bell Atlantic took some heat when it announced a plan to sell customers' names, addresses and phone numbers. The company scrapped the idea this month after about 1,000 people objected. Irate customers complained that they would become prey to telemarketers.
According to Taylor, the number of unpublished numbers has been constant in recent years. But there may have been a surge in the 1980s.
Paul Miller, spokesman for Bell Atlantic, said listings come in three categories: published, unlisted and unpublished. Most people confuse unlisted and unpublished, he said.
Unlisted numbers are not published by customer request but are available through directory assistance; only 1 percent of Bell Atlantic customers choose this service, Miller said.
Unpublished numbers are not available either through the telephone book or the operator.
Residential customers are more likely to request unpublished numbers than businesses, Miller said. Organizations that aren't listed are usually limited to outbound calling, such as family-protection agencies, abuse centers, some charitable organizations and telemarketers, are usually limited to outbound calling. ILLUSTRATION: Color map of unpublished numbers by metropolitan area...
Color photo of directory front page
by CNB