Briefs

Officials Applaud FCC Vote to Improve Routing of Wireless Calls to the 988 Lifeline

 

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-founders of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, and Representative Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.-29), co-chair of the bipartisan House 988 & Crisis Services task force, Oct. 17 applauded the Federal Communications Commission or FCC for making critical improvements to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to help callers access localized, lifesaving behavioral health resources.

On the one-year anniversary of the founding of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, the FCC board of directors voted to finalize the proposed rule to improve the 988 Lifeline, which contains the main provision from the lawmakers’ Local 9-8-8 Response Act of 2023. The rule will expedite the process of connecting 988 Lifeline callers with their nearest call center so they can receive appropriate care and resources from mental health professionals and local public safety officials as quickly as possible, while protecting user privacy.

Reliable, timely access to the 988 Lifeline is essential to link people experiencing suicidal ideation or a mental health crisis with immediate support. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has supported millions of Americans in crisis, but currently, calls to the hotline are routed by area code rather than location. As awareness of the hotline increases, ensuring that operators can quickly connect callers to a range of mental health services and a full continuum of care is crucial.

The final rule will require a geo-routing solution to be implemented for all wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline while balancing the privacy needs of individuals in crisis. Geo-routing refers to technical solutions that enable calls to be directed based on the location of the caller without transmitting the caller’s precise location information. These solutions would permit wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline to be directed to nearby crisis centers based on factors such as the cell tower that originated the call rather than the area code of the wireless device used to place the call. This system would maintain any privacy requirements carriers may have about the nature of such sensitive calls.

Verizon and T-Mobile began geo-routing calls to the Lifeline last month, and AT&T plans to implement similar geo-routing technology in the next few months.

Reporters Desk

Recent Posts

Trump Drops the Hammer on Farmworkers

In addition, the new regulation allows growers to charge H-2A workers for housing, which they…

13 hours ago

Letters to the Editor: Toberman Seniors Rebuild Reputation, School Library Proposal, and Praise for “Art, Authenticity vs. Hypocrisy”

  Toberman Seniors Club Seeks to Restore Its Good Name Amid Unexplained Changes We, the…

14 hours ago

Becoming Daddy AF, Through Dance and Storytelling

At 65 years of age, Roussève stands, through his diagnosis, still performing, writing, creating and…

15 hours ago

Icon versus Caricature

The difference between being a true icon and a caricature is in the authenticity of…

15 hours ago

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to Lecture at CSUDH

Jackson will appear as a visiting lecturer at California State University, Dominguez Hills, this fall…

16 hours ago

Harbor Area ICE Watch

Today, a federal force again disappearing our neighbors, using our community as its base of…

16 hours ago