Mental Health Interests OK With Longer 988 Rollout; Telcos Concerned

July 16, 2022, for 988 going live nationwide is "the earliest possible effective date," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a National Council for Behavioral Health webinar, per prepared remarks. Some carriers can implement it sooner in some markets, but the commission would opt against staggering implementation deadlines because of the risk of "deadly consumer confusion," he said. "I know that two years might seem like a long way off. I sometimes feel that way too in my heart. But in my head, I know that our most important mission is to make 988 work."

"Speed is key, but so is uniformity," and having universal 988 service makes the extra implementation time acceptable, said Sam Brinton, The Trevor Project vice president-advocacy and government affairs, in an interview. He said additional time also could help in preparation and transition for the 988 system. With proper funding and proper support, two years should be doable, Brinton said.

Echoed Jen Snow, National Alliance on Mental Illness director-public policy, "If we had a magic wand, we would implement it tomorrow," but there are obvious technical issues to implementation and the FCC seems confident two years makes sense. She said some in the telecom industry wanted longer, and it was good to see the regulator wouldn't extend the rollout by a significant amount. NAMI and The Trevor Project said mental health policy advocacy is focusing now on passage of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.

While two years "is still a long time to wait for the benefits of the full implementation of a universal three-digit crisis number, if adopted, this will help us all to make a meaningful impact on suicide rates and to mitigate crisis events in the coming decades," Mental Health America said. The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness emailed it favors "swift implementation."

The three-digit hotline "is an important idea whose time has come, and USTelecom members are committed to establishing 988 as the nationwide number," the association emailed. A two-year transition will be achievable for most areas, but multiple parties in the record made clear it will take longer than two years in a small portion of the country where ‘988’ is already used in 7-digit phone numbers, USTelecom said: "We look forward to seeing how the FCC’s plan addresses these concerns and will continue working with the FCC and the mental health community for a timely and attainable transition to ‘988.’”

A nationwide move for all exchanges of two years or less isn't possible due to technical and operational limits, USTelecom officials told a Pai aide and Wireline Bureau Chief Kris Monteith, per a docket 18-336 posting Monday. It said about 97% of U.S. households could have access within 18 months via all wireless and interconnected VoIP voice service networks and also on ILEC switched landline service networks in most U.S. numbering plan areas (NPA). Ten-digit dialing in the NPAs with seven-digit dialing and a 988 NXX will take a lot longer than 18 months, it said. AT&T in a posting Tuesday backed USTelecom and estimated it could take five years to complete the legacy switch translations and other upgrades required to transition NPAs where it operates with both 7-digit dialing and NXX 988.

The draft order announcement got Capitol Hill and FCC kudos. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, tweeted kudos to Pai "for establishing an easier way for individuals to reach out for mental health assistance when they need it." House Communications ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio, tweeted that designating 988 for the hotline "will save lives & will bring us one step closer to #reducingthestigma surrounding #mentalhealth conditions." Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel tweeted the draft order is "good news and a good development."