The Federal Communications Commission will vote next month to require all calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline be routed by wireless carriers to local call centers.
If approved, cellphone carriers would be required to use geo-routing to connect callers to the closest 988 call center to the caller’s physical location. Doing so is intended to streamline connections to local resources and broaden services.
“That means no more 988 calls and messages will be needlessly sent to crisis centers hundreds of miles away,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a call Tuesday with reporters. “Instead, if you contact 988, you can count on being connected with resources that are in your own backyard, and you can speak to someone in the community from where you’re calling.”
The commission will vote Oct. 17 to finalize the rule, which was formally proposed in May.
If finalized, the requirements would take effect 30 days from the effective date of the rule for wireless providers and 24 months after for smaller, non-nationwide providers.
The 3-digit lifeline number rolled out in July 2022 typically connects callers to a local center based on their three-digit area code.
But many individuals use a mobile number with an area code that does not match where they currently live.
Two major carriers — Verizon and T-Mobile — voluntarily began the process last week to route calls based on location. Those carriers make up about half of all wireless calls to 988, according to the FCC.
Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., have introduced legislation that would require the FCC to begin the rule-making process to make the change.
The lifeline itself has existed since 2005, but Congress passed a law in 2020 to make the 988 the universal telephone number for the lifeline, hoping an easier to remember number would encourage more people to seek help.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, please call the toll-free, 24-hour 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 to connect to a trained counselor.
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