“This page is a digitally archived AccessInfo Announcement”
Oppositions Due: December 2, 2020
Replies to Oppositions Due: December 14, 2020
On October 22, 2020, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on a petition filed by Communications Equality Advocates, a coalition of consumer organizations and academics, for partial reconsideration of the FCC’s July 16, 2020 Report and Order, which designated 988 as the 3-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline The FCC found that 988, an easy-to-remember, three-digit number, would ease access to suicide prevention and crisis intervention services, decrease the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health crises, and ultimately save lives.
In their petition, Communications Equality Advocates request that the FCC revise the Order to mandate text-to-988 and direct video calling (DVC) requirements and to have such requirements be implemented on the same timeline as voice calls to 988. The FCC rules require phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK), by July 16, 2022.
Interested parties may file comments by accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. All filings must reference WC Docket No. 18-336. People with disabilities who need assistance to file comments online at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings may request assistance by email to FCC504@fcc.gov.
Link to Public Notice:
URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/petition-reconsideration-action-proceedings
Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-367701A1.docx
PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-367701A1.pdf
Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-367701A1.txt
Link to Communications Equality Advocates’ Petition:
https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10201183107079/Communications%20Equality%20Advocates%20Petition%20for%20Reconsideration%20-%20Corrected.pdf
General information about 988 and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at https://www.fcc.gov/suicide-prevention-hotline. For further information, please contact Michelle Sclater, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0388 or michelle.sclater@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).