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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 111 / Friday, June 11, 2021 / Proposed Rules
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 52
WC Docket No. 18336; FCC 2147; FR
ID 24892

Implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018
Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to require covered text providers to support text messaging to 988, the 3digit dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. We seek comment on this proposal and related issues, such as the text message formats that covered text providers must transmit to 988 and the timeframe for implementation.

SUMMARY:

Comments are due on or before July 12, 2021, and reply comments are due on or before August 10, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WC Docket No. 18336, by any of the following methods:
Federal Communications Commissions Website: http
apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commissions Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
Commercial overnight mail other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail must be sent to 9050
Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD
20701. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Effective March 19, 2020, and until further notice, the Commission no longer accepts any hand or messenger delivered filings. This is a temporary measure taken to help protect the health and safety of individuals, and to mitigate the transmission of COVID
19. See FCC Announces Closure of FCC
Headquarters Open Window and Change in Hand-Delivery Policy, Public Notice, DA 20304 March 19, 2020.
https www.fcc.gov/document/fcccloses-headquarters-open-window-andchanges-hand-delivery-policy.
People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request reasonable accommodations accessible format
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DATES:

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documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc. by email: FCC504@fcc.gov or phone: 2024180530 or TTY: 202
4180432.
For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle Sclater, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at 202 4180388, Michelle.Sclater@
fcc.gov.
This is a summary of the Commissions further notice of proposed rulemaking FNPRM
in WC Docket No. 18336, adopted on April 22, 2021 and released on April 23, 2021. The full text of the document is available at https docs.fcc.gov/public/
attachments/FCC-21-47A1.pdf. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities e.g., braille, large print, electronic files, audio format, etc. or to request reasonable accommodations e.g., accessible format documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc., send an email to fcc504@
fcc.gov or call the Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202
4180530 voice or 202 4180432
TTY.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Synopsis I. Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking A. Text-to-988 Can Save Lives 1. In this FNPRM, we tentatively conclude that text-to-988 functionality will greatly improve consumer access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Lifeline, particularly for at-risk populations, and thereby save lives. We seek comment on this tentative conclusion, and on the benefits of text messaging as a means to facilitate access to the critical mental health resources offered by the Lifeline generally.
2. We tentatively conclude that ensuring that Americans in crisis can text 988 is likely to save lives. In the 988
notice of proposed rulemaking, the Commission observed that Americans, particularly younger Americans, increasingly rely on texting to communicate, and sought comment on how to account for this fact in establishing 988 as a nationwide 3-digit code for the Lifeline. In response, numerous experts in mental health and other fields have submitted comments in this proceeding underscoring the importance of texting as a vital communications medium by which many individuals may wish to obtain crisis counseling. Further, many of these
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commenters noted that texting is particularly important for members of vulnerable communities such as young people, low-income individuals, members of the LGBTQ community, and individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. We seek comment on our tentative conclusion and the assertions of these commenters regarding the importance of texting as a means to access the lifesaving resources offered by the Lifeline.
3. Just as Americans in crisis are in need of an easy-to-remember number to access the Lifelines potentially lifesaving resources by telephone, in our preliminary view Americans have a similarly strong need for an easy-toremember number to reach the Lifeline by text. Because stakeholders will widely advertise 988 as the telephone number for the Lifeline, we preliminarily believe that providing text access at the same number will generate synergies that enhance the value of efforts to promote 988. Conversely, we fear that if text-to-988 is not available, Americans in crisis may be confused by efforts to promote 988 as the Lifelines telephone number and mistakenly believe that they can reach the Lifeline by texting 988, putting lives at risk. We seek comment on this preliminary analysis.
4. As the Commission noted in the 988 Report and Order, young people are disproportionately at risk for mental health crises. They are also more likely to be most comfortable communicating via text. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly 95% of teens have access to smart phones and say that texting is the primary way that they connect. For this reason, the International Council for Helplines describes the increasing use of chat and text services . . . for those who are in a mental health crisis, pointing to a recent survey indicating that 75% of millennials prefer texting over talking. According to Mental Health America, multiple sources of data demonstrate youth prefer communicating by text rather than calls, including a study finding that young people were more likely to forgo psychological support than talk in person or over the phone. As a result, Mental Health America argues, the data strongly support the implementation of texting for providing resources to individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. We seek comment on these views and whether adopting a text-to-988 mandate would provide particular benefits for young Americans.
Are young people more inclined to seek help by text than by telephone, and if
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