North American Numbering Council 988 National Suicide Hotline Overview
The document provides an overview of the National Suicide Hotline established by the North American Numbering Council (NANC), featuring insights from Jesse Goodwin, an Attorney Advisor at the Federal Communications Commission. It delves into the key aspects of the hotline's operation and its significance in addressing mental health crises. The overview was published on February 4, 2021, by the Wireline Competition Bureau, Competition Policy Division.
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North American Numbering Council 988 National Suicide Hotline Overview Jesse Goodwin Attorney Advisor Federal Communications Commission Wireline Competition Bureau Competition Policy Division February 4, 2021
Overview The FCC has designated 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to be available July 16, 2022. 988 is not active yet. If you want to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1-800-273-TALK. - Although 988 is not yet active nationwide, but some carriers, mostly wireless, have already implemented it. This presentation will cover: - 988 s background; - the Order; - the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 - Petition for Reconsideration; - Next steps 2
Rulemaking Proceeding On December 16, 2019, the FCC released aNotice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposed to designate 988 as the 3-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline We received a robust record of comments from the mental health community, telecommunications companies, and other interested parties On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted a Report and Order that adopted 988 as the 3-digit code for the Lifeline and required providers to implement 988 within two years. 3
Timeline and Implementation The Order requires all telecommunications carriers, interconnected voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers, and one-way VoIP providers to make any network changes necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the Lifeline by July 16, 2022. Providers will route calls to 988 to the existing toll free access number (1-800-273-8255 / 1-800-273-TALK). Requires covered providers to implement 10-digit dialing in areas that both use 7-digit dialing and 988 as the first three digits of a number. North American Numbering Plan Administrator currently working with providers toward implementation. 4
National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 On October 17, 2020, Congress enacted the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. The Act designates 988 as the universal telephone number within the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, with designation occurring one year after enactment. It also requires the Commission to submit a report that details the status of fees collected and distributed by government subdivisions and Indian Tribes as well as findings about on the amount of revenues obligated or expended thereby for any purpose other than the purpose for which those fees or charges are specified. Additionally, it requires the Commission submit a report that examines the feasibility and cost of including an automatic dispatchable location that would be conveyed with a 9 8 8 call, regardless of the technological platform used and including with calls from multi-line telephone systems. 5
Petition for Reconsideration Following adoption of the Order, the Communications Equality Advocates filed a petition for reconsideration requesting that the Commission revise its Order to require implementation of text-to-988 and support for DVC capability. They contend that texting is the preferred method of communication for certain groups, especially deaf and hard of hearing, and existing texting or chat services are not an adequate substitute. Additionally, they draw comparisons to the Commission s authority in mandating text-to-911. Comments and replies were due in December. Commenters expressed support enabling text-to-988. 6
Next Steps The fee-accountability report is due not later than 2 years after enactment of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. The Commission released a public notice that clarified that although designation of 988 would not occur until October 2021, the implementation date (July 2022) did not change. It also requested comments regarding the geolocation report to Congress, which is due in April 2021. Comments were received in December and replies in January. 7
Questions/Contacts/Links Jesse Goodwin Federal Communications Commission Attorney Advisor 202.418.0958 Benjamin.Goodwin@fcc.gov Links: Order https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-100A1_Rcd.pdf National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2661/text/enr Petition for Reconsideration https://www.fcc.gov/consumer-groups-seek-partial-reconsideration-988-order 8 8
