Rosenworcel Plan Would Propose Carriers Provide Texting With 988
The FCC is mulling a requirement that the 988 national suicide prevention hotline be reachable by text. The agency said a Further NPRM on the April 22 agenda would propose requiring text providers to implement texting to 988.
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“We have a mental health crisis in this country, especially among young people, and we need to find accessible ways to reach them when they need help,” acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. “From the outset of this proceeding, I’ve thought the FCC should have a plan to make texting to 988 available as a tool for reaching the Lifeline." The July vote approving the 988 hotline order was unanimous, though Rosenworcel said at the time the order should have incorporated rules about texting.
Groups including the National Association of the Deaf, National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and National Federation of the Blind petitioned the FCC last year, asking it institute a hotline texting mandate.
The FCC said the item would also seek comment on the types of texts that would be supported, adoption of a nationwide implementation deadline for covered text providers and whether to require text providers send automatic bounce-back messages when text-to-988 service is unavailable.
USTelecom, Competitive Carriers Association and CTIA didn't immediately have any comments.