![]() ![]() “In a lot of communities, it’s a big business,” he said.ĬenturyLink and other companies said they were getting complaints from customers who didn’t want to receive the directories.Įnvironmental groups have pushed for the opt-in laws because of the large amount of waste the phone books create. ![]() ![]() However, in some smaller communities, people do still widely use the white pages, Martin said. Many people now rely solely on cellphones, whose numbers aren’t listed in white pages directories, Martin said. “We think it’s a good sign that they recognized the fact that technology and the marketplace have changed, and the rule really needed to be updated,” said Mike Martin, executive director of the Minnesota Cable Communications Association. After CenturyLink, Minnesota’s biggest phone service provider, sought a waiver in 2013, the state Public Utilities Commission decided to revisit the regulation and decide if it should be changed.Īfter a lengthy process and comment period, the commission changed the rule to allow companies to decide whether they want to continue to distribute the white pages to all customers or by request only. Often telephone carriers partner with publishers like DexMedia to produce the listings.Ĭompanies could seek an exemption to the rule. Under previous rules, local telephone carriers were required to distribute printed copies of the white pages directory to all residential customers. “You have more and more people who are finding the electronic version more valuable.” “The books are becoming less and less valuable as people cut the cord, because there are only landline telephone numbers in those books,” said Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance. Still, as more people get rid of their landline telephones and turn to mobile phones alone, the eventual demise of the white pages seems likely. Some phone companies say they will continue to distribute them because their customers want them as a community resource. Minnesota joins at least 18 other states with so-called “opt in” rules, meaning the traditional directories only need to be distributed if a customer requests one.ĭon’t expect the phone books to disappear quite yet, especially in small towns and rural areas. It allows local service providers to offer telephone directories online only and stop delivering white pages directories to all their residential customers. In Minnesota, the white pages took another step toward oblivion last month when a state rule change took effect. With the prevalence of smartphones and the Internet, using the white pages to look up someone’s phone number may seem obsolete, especially to digital-savvy generations. For some people, the phone books that automatically show up on the doorstep or in the mailbox are relics of the past. ![]()
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