(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 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.

(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.

[85 FR 57783, Sept. 16, 2020, as amended at 89 FR 88905, Nov. 12, 2024]

(a) Support for 988 text message service. Beginning July 16, 2022, all covered text providers must route a covered 988 text message to the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system maintained by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

(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, as amended at 89 FR 88905, Nov. 12, 2024]

(a) Georouting. All CMRS providers must:

(1) Have the capability to provide georouting data with 988 calls to the Lifeline Administrator in a format that is compatible with the Lifeline's routing platform, to allow routing of the 988 call by the Lifeline Administrator to the appropriate crisis center based on the geographic area where the handset is located at the time the 988 call is initiated.

(2) Provide georouting data, when available, with 988 calls to the Lifeline Administrator sufficient to allow routing of the 988 call by the Lifeline Administrator to the appropriate crisis center based on the geographic area where the handset is located at the time the 988 call is initiated.

(b) Scope of section. The requirements of this section are only applicable to CMRS providers, excluding mobile satellite service (MSS) operators, to the extent that they:

(1)(i) Offer real-time, two way switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network; and

(ii) Use an in-network switching facility that enables the provider to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless hand-offs of subscriber calls. These requirements are applicable to entities that offer voice service to consumers by purchasing airtime or capacity at wholesale rates from CMRS licensees.

(2) The requirements of this section do not apply to 988 calls transmitted using roaming capabilities.

(c) Compliance. (1) By 30 days after December 12, 2024: Nationwide CMRS providers shall provide georouting data with wireless 988 calls.

(2) By 24 months after December 12, 2024: All CMRS providers shall provide georouting data with wireless 988 calls.

(d) Definitions. For purposes of this section:

Commercial mobile radio service (CMRS). A mobile service that is:

(i)(A) Provided for profit, i.e., with the intent of receiving compensation or monetary gain;

(B) An interconnected service; and

(C) Available to the public, or to such classes of eligible users as to be effectively available to a substantial portion of the public; or

(ii) The functional equivalent of such a mobile service described in paragraph (i)(A) of this definition.

(iii) A variety of factors may be evaluated to make a determination whether the mobile service in question is the functional equivalent of a commercial mobile radio service, including: Consumer demand for the service to determine whether the service is closely substitutable for a commercial mobile radio service; whether changes in price for the service under examination, or for the comparable commercial mobile radio service, would prompt customers to change from one service to the other; and market research information identifying the targeted market for the service under review.

(iv) Unlicensed radio frequency devices under part 15 of this chapter are excluded from this definition of Commercial mobile radio service.

Georouting data. Location data generated from cell-based location technology that is aggregated to a level that will not identify the location of the cell site or base station receiving the 988 call or otherwise identify the precise location of the handset.

Lifeline Administrator. The Lifeline Administrator controls the 988 call routing platform pursuant to contract with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Nationwide CMRS provider. A CMRS provider whose service extends to a majority of the population and land area of the United States.

Non-nationwide CMRS provider. Any CMRS provider other than a nationwide CMRS provider.

[89 FR 88905, Nov. 12, 2024]

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

[62 FR 18295, Apr. 15, 1997]