(a) 988 is established as the 3-digit dialing code for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system maintained by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

(b) All covered providers shall transmit all calls initiated by an end user dialing 988 to the current toll free access number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, presently 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).

(c) All covered providers shall complete 10-digit dialing implementation in areas that use 7-digit dialing and have assigned 988 as a central office code as defined in § 52.7(c) by July 16, 2022.

(d) All covered providers shall complete all changes to their systems that are necessary to implement the designation of the 988 dialing code by July 16, 2022.

(e) For purposes of complying with the requirements of this section,

(1) The term “covered provider” means any telecommunications carrier, interconnected VoIP provider, or provider of one-way VoIP.

(2) The term “one-way VoIP”—

(i) Means a service that—

(A) Enables real-time, two-way voice communications;

(B) Requires a broadband connection from the user's location;

(C) Requires internet protocol-compatible customer premises equipment; and

(D) Permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network or to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network.

(ii) Does not include any service that is an interconnected VoIP service.

(a) Support for 988 text message service. Beginning July 16, 2022, all covered text providers must route a covered 988 text message to the current toll free access number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, presently 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).

(b) Access to SMS networks for 988 text messages. To the extent that Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) providers offer Short Message Service (SMS), they shall allow access by any other covered text provider to the capabilities necessary for transmission of 988 text messages originating on such other covered text providers' application services.

(c) Definitions. For purposes of this section:

988 text message. (i) Means a message consisting of text, images, sounds, or other information that is transmitted to or from a device that is identified as the receiving or transmitting device by means of a 10-digit telephone number, N11 service code, or 988;

(ii) Includes and is not limited to a SMS message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message; and

(iii) Does not include—

(A) A real-time, two-way voice or video communication; or

(B) A message sent over an IP-enabled messaging service to another user of the same messaging service, except a message described in paragraph (b) of this section.

Covered 988 text message means a 988 text message in SMS format and any other format that the Wireline Competition Bureau has determined must be supported by covered text providers.

Covered text provider includes all CMRS providers as well as all providers of interconnected text messaging services that enable consumers to send text messages to and receive text messages from all or substantially all text-capable U.S. telephone numbers, including through the use of applications downloaded or otherwise installed on mobile phones.

Multimedia message service (MMS) shall have the same definition as the term in § 64.1600(k) of this chapter.

Short message service (SMS) shall have the same definition as the term in § 64.1600(m) of this chapter.

[87 FR 412, Jan. 5, 2022]

Implementation must be completed by the carriers in the relevant MSAs during the periods specified below:

[62 FR 18295, Apr. 15, 1997]