Much of this notice is copied from the FCC’s website as a Public Service Announcement for Skyetel Customers.
988 And Suicide Prevention
On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted rules to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors.
The rules require phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022. During the transition to 988, Americans who need help should continue to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) and through online chats. Veterans and Service members may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing, chatting online at www.veteranscrisisline.net, or texting 838255.
The new rules will apply to all telecommunications carriers as well as all interconnected and one-way Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers. They provide for a two-year transition, reflecting the nature of this nationwide effort, including the need for network changes and providing time for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to prepare for the expected increase in the volume of calls. Under these rules, calls to 988 will be directed to 1-800-273-TALK, which will remain operational during the 988 transition and after it is completed.
What Skyetel is Doing
Skyetel will be within compliance with the 988 requirements well before the July 16, 2022 deadline. There will be no charges to call 988, and we will provide a further update once our network fully supports the dialing of 988.
What you can do now
If you are reselling Skyetel’s services to end users, or provide technical support services for end users that are direct Skyetel customers, we recommend that you temporarily create a 988 rule in your dialplan and forward those calls to 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK). When we release our carrier level support for 988, you may simply remove this dial plan at your leisure.