FCC Proposes 988 As National Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Hotline Number 

At its Open Meeting the FCC voted to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would designate 988  as a new, nationwide, 3-digit number for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. This Notice proposes that calls made to 988 would be directed to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a national network of 163 crisis centers that is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It also proposes requiring that all telecommunications carriers and interconnected VoIP service providers make, within 18 months, any network changes necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the Lifeline.  The Notice also seeks comment on all aspects of implementation, including whether a longer or shorter time frame would be needed to make 988 a reality. 

Currently, the Lifeline is available by calling 1-800-273-TALK and through online chats. In 2018, trained Lifeline counselors answered over 2.2 million calls and over 100,000 online chats. In response to the FCC’s action, U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), who is leading the bipartisan effort in the Senate to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline, issued a statement saying: “Today the Federal Communications Commission took an important step in our efforts to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline. This hotline will be critical to make sure that every American has access to mental health support with a number that’s easy to remember in a time of crisis. I am encouraged that the Senate Commerce Committee yesterday passed my legislation to provide oversight for the establishment of the three-digit hotline and look forward to its full consideration by the U.S. Senate. I applaud the FCC’s action, and I will continue working with my colleagues to establish the 9-8-8 suicide hotline and ensure critical mental health support is three buttons away.” 

In October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers. The bill ensures states are able to collect fees for the line, similar to the way they do for the 911 emergency line, and requires reports to Congress to help ensure effectiveness and operability of the line. 

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The Regulatory Mix Today: FCC Proposes 988 As National Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Hotline Number,   

FCC Clarifies VoIP Symmetry Rule , FCC 833 Auction 

FCC Clarifies VoIP Symmetry Rule 

At its Open Meeting last week, the FCC voted to issue an Order on Remand and Declaratory Ruling that resolves the D.C. Circuit’s remand of its 2015 VoIP Symmetry Order by clarifying that  that only those VoIP-LEC partnerships where one of the partners provides a physical connection to the last-mile facilities used to serve the end user may collect end office switched access charges.  The FCC said that the provision of a physical connection to the last-mile facilities used to serve a home or business is the hallmark of end-office switching, consistent with the Commission’s historical understanding, judicial precedent, and longstanding industry practice.  The Order is intended to provide certainty to carriers regarding VoIP services, promote the continued transition from traditional voice networks to modern all-IP networks, and help resolve pending intercarrier competition disputes.  

The FCC’s 2015 Order had interpreted the rule to allow LECs that partner with over-the-top VoIP providers (that do not themselves provide the physical connection to the end user) to collect end office switching charges on their VoIP-PSTN traffic. 

FCC 833 Auction 

The FCC announced that on December 10, 2019, Somos, Inc. released a Public Notice announcing the applicants qualified to bid in the auction of certain toll free numbers in the 833 Code Auction.  Somos identified 44 applicants found to be qualified to bid in the auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 17, 2019, makes available 17,638 Toll Free numbers in the 833 code.  The Notice also addresses the continuing obligations for all 833 Auction applicants, including those not qualified to bid and contains bidding procedures and other important information regarding the 833 Auction. 

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.