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ADVOCACY UPDATE
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FCC Proposes Rulemaking for Improved
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
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At the urging of counties and our partners, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on an important fix to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, allowing county residents dialing 988 to be more efficiently connected to a local crisis center.
The NPRM is a step towards implementing a geo-routing system that would require carriers to route 988 calls based on a caller's proximity to the nearest cellular tower.
Currently, calls to 988 are routed based on a caller's area code rather than a geographic area, resulting in some callers being connected to crisis centers located hundreds or thousands of miles away.
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NACo's Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing has strongly advocated for geo-routing. Eighty percent of 988 calls are made from mobile devices, and counties are often responsible for providing safety net behavorial health services to those most in need.
NACo has also supported bipartisan legislation, the Local 988 Response Act (H.R. 4974), which would have directed the FCC to initiate the NPRM on geo-routing.
With the release of the NPRM, NACo now urges the FCC to swiftly implement the improved geo-routing solution to bolster the efficacy of the 988 Lifeline.
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Washington, D.C. 20001
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