Starting Sunday, anyone making a local call in Illinois will have to dial the area code first, even for local calls. Your phone number will not change, but if you try to dial local without the area code first, you will be informed your call cannot be completed as dialed. Citizens’ Utility Board spokesman Jim Chilsen says the big phone companies claim they need this.

While he says it’s “not the end of the world,” it is still an annoyance that could have been avoided. You will still be able to dial three-digit numbers such as 911, 411, or 211 without dialing an area code first.