FCC Staff Asks NANC More Suicide Hotline Questions; Stakeholders Report on Operations
The FCC North American Numbering Council, which isn't recommending use of a three-digit dialing code for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline (see 1902140044), is being asked to revise its draft report with answers to new questions.…
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In a letter dated Friday from Wireline Bureau Chief Kris Monteith, posted Monday in docket 18-336, NANC is directed to answer such questions as, if the FCC does go the three-digit dialing code route, what N11 or non-N11 code would it recommend and which existing N11 code would it recommend for expansion if it opts to go that route. It also told NANC to consult with the North American Numbering Plan administrator about what codes might be best suited and how that would affect North American Numbering Plan exhaust. It said if NANC recommends repurposing an existing N11 dialing, the answer of which should be accompanied with use data for that code compared to other codes from as large a service provider sample as possible. It said NANC should detail actions needed to implement whatever three-digit code it recommends and a timeline for implementation. NANC's Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group has an April 11 deadline for getting that information to NANC, with NANC then having a May 13 deadline for getting the report to the bureau. A Veterans Affairs Department report posted Friday said since its 2016 expansion of its 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line call centers, calls no longer are routinely routed to a contracted backup center and the rollover rate went from 39.16 percent of calls in FY 2016 to 0.16 percent in FY 2018, as call volumes grew. It said 98.05 percent of calls are answered within 20 seconds and 1.7 percent of calls disconnected more than five seconds before being responded to. A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report to the FCC posted Friday said average longest wait for an answer at the federally funded Lifeline 10-digit national hotline rose 29 percent April 2017-April 2018. It said an N11 would be easier to remember, leading to higher volume, and be more effective than the 1-800 number used now. It said high-performing crisis center to responding to a crisis call costs roughly $25 per call, so an N11 system -- if it doubled the volume of calls Lifeline handles now -- would necessitate $50 million in additional funding.