Memo: FCC Designation of 988 – 3-Digit Dialing for Suicide Prevention
October 13, 2020
FCC Designation of 988 – 3-Digit Dialing for Suicide Prevention
Effective for all carriers July 16, 2022.
Reminder
As a follow up to the August 13, 2020 Vantage Point Memo, we would like to remind carriers of their obligations to implement 988 3-digit dialing effective July 16, 2022. All service providers will be required to take action, some more than others. This project will require service providers in 83 area codes nationwide to transition to mandatory 10-digit dialing. While many area codes already require 10-digit dialing, all service providers will have milestones to meet.
Below are some dates to remember:
- July 16, 2020 to April 24, 2021 – End user education
- April 24, 2021 – Permissive Dialing; End users encouraged to dial 10-digits during this period
- October 24, 2021 – Mandatory 10-digit dialing can be enforced by the carriers. Carriers are free to set their own rolling schedule as this is not a required flash cut
- July 15, 2022 – Carriers must have all rolling cuts complete and enforce mandatory 10-digit dialing
- July 16, 2022 – All end user-initiated calls dialing 988 must be routed to the toll-free access number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1.800.273.8255 (TALK)
Download the full memo for additional detail on Customer Education, Translation Updates, End User Equipment Updates, and more.
VPS Memo – FCC Designation of 988
Additional Information
For information on this issue or if you would like VPS guidance, please contact these members of the Vantage Point Solutions team:
Adam Fenski, PE at (605) 995-1772
Courtney Spears at (830) 895-7221
