Federal Communications Commission passed rules this will require all wireless calls to 988 Lifeline to be ungeographed. Geographic routing ensures that attempts to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for intervention services are sent to the place where the call was made, not the caller’s area code and exchange.
Once the rules come into force, national providers will have 30 days to implement routing for these calls. Smaller, non-national providers have a 24-month timeline to comply. The agency also proposed applying the same geo-routing policy to texts sent to 988.
The FCC has taken several steps over the past few years to expand the reach of the 988 Lifeline. after The agency expanded the service to include the three-digit number in 2020 as a shortcut to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. in 2021. T-Mobile was one telcos will activate 988 for customers to access mental health services.
If you are struggling and need someone to listen, please call 988. The full number is 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) or you can reach Lifeline at this number. .
