[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79014-79015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26917]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[WC Docket No. 18-336; DA 20-1378; FRS 17262]


Implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 
2018

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (Suicide 
Hotline Act) designates 988 as the universal telephone number within 
the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention 
and mental health crisis hotline system within one year after enactment 
of the Suicide Hotline Act. It also directs the Federal Communications 
Commission to submit a report on location identification. This public 
notice seeks comment on issues to inform the location identification 
report, which is due to Congress by April 17, 2021. This Public Notice 
also clarifies that the designation of 988 as the universal telephone 
number within the United States for the national suicide prevention and 
mental health crisis hotline will take effect on October 17, 2021, 
which is one year after the date of enactment of the Suicide Hotline 
Act, and not on October 16, 2020.

DATES: Comments are due on or before December 21, 2020 and Reply 
Comments are due on or before January 11, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WC Docket No. 18-336, 
by any of the following methods:
    [ssquf] Federal Communications Commission's website: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    [ssquf] Mail: Federal Communications Commission, 45 L St. NE, 
Washington, DC 20554.
    [ssquf] People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request 
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) by email: [email protected] or phone: 202-418-
0530 or TTY: 202-418-0432.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Sclater, 
[email protected] or (202) 418-0388.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 17, 2020, the President signed 
the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 into law (Suicide 
Hotline Act). The Suicide Hotline Act designates 988 as the universal 
telephone number within the United States for the purpose of the 
national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system 
within one year after enactment of the Suicide Hotline Act. It also 
directs the Commission to submit a report on location identification. 
By this public notice, we seek comment on issues to inform the location 
identification report, which is due to Congress by April 17, 2021.
    Section 5 of the Suicide Hotline Act requires the Commission to 
submit a report to the appropriate committees ``that examines the 
feasibility and cost of including an automatic dispatchable location 
that would be conveyed with a 9-8-8 call, regardless of the 
technological platform used and including with calls from multi-line 
telephone systems,'' and as such, we seek comment on these issues 
generally. More specifically, what is the feasibility of including 
location information with a 988 call? What technical issues are 
involved and how can they be overcome, including with respect to multi-
line telephone systems? How long would an implementation process take? 
What are the costs involved--both the financial costs and any potential 
risks to consumer privacy or other non-monetary costs? We note that in 
addition to soliciting written public comment by this Public Notice, we 
will invite members of our expert advisory committee, the North 
American Numbering Council, to discuss and provide input on the 
feasibility and cost of including an automatic dispatchable location 
with a 988 call at a forthcoming meeting.
    We also take this opportunity to clarify the 988 implementation 
date, as well as the effective date of the designation of 988 as the 
universal telephone number within the United States for the national 
suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. Prior to enactment 
of the Suicide Hotline Act, the Commission designated 988 as the 
universal telephone number within the United States for the national 
suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline in a Report and 
Order released on July 17, 2020, and that became effective on October 
16, 2020. (85 FR 57767 (Sept. 16, 2020)). The Report and Order also set 
an implementation date of July 16, 2022 for all telecommunications 
carriers, interconnected voice over internet Protocol (VoIP) providers, 
and one-way

[[Page 79015]]

VoIP providers to make any network changes necessary to ensure that 
users can dial 988 to reach the Lifeline. The Suicide Hotline Act 
states that the 988 designation shall take effect one year after 
enactment, but is silent on implementation. The implementation deadline 
set forth in the Report and Order ``to allow sufficient time--but no 
more time than necessary--for covered providers to meet the challenges 
of implementing 10-digit dialing in 87 area codes and of making 
necessary changes to their switches'' therefore remains unchanged by 
the Suicide Hotline Act.
    Although the Suicide Hotline Act does not mention the Commission's 
earlier designation of 988 in the Report and Order, we construe 
Congress's independent designation of 988 in the Suicide Hotline Act as 
a ratification of the Commission's designation. Accordingly, the Report 
and Order is unaffected by the Suicide Hotline Act, except that we now 
clarify that the designation of 988 as the universal telephone number 
within the United States for the national suicide prevention and mental 
health crisis hotline will take effect on October 17, 2021, which is 
one year after the date of enactment of the Suicide Hotline Act, and 
not on October 16, 2020. This clarification is necessary to make the 
Report and Order consistent with Congress's clear intent that 
designation become effective one year after the date of enactment, as 
stated in section 3 of the Suicide Hotline Act. To the extent 
necessary, we hereby waive the October 16, 2020 effective date of the 
designation in the Report and Order until one year after the date of 
enactment of the Suicide Hotline Act. This waiver is necessary to 
effectuate Congress's intent, and we are aware of no harm to the public 
interest that would be caused by adopting the effective date that 
Congress prescribed in the Suicide Hotline Act.
    The proceeding this Notice initiates shall be treated as a 
``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the Commission's 
ex parte rules. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy 
of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral 
presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a 
different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons 
making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda 
summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or 
otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte 
presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and 
arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted 
in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already 
reflected in the presenter's written comments, memoranda or other 
filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such 
data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other 
filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where 
such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the 
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex 
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must 
be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by 
rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of 
electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda 
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, 
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available 
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., 
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding 
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.
    Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 
CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply 
comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this 
document. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic 
Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in 
Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the internet by accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/.
     Paper Filers: 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 Commission's 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 20-304 (March 19, 2020). https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-closes-headquarters-open-window-and-changes-hand-delivery-policy.
    People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-
418-0432 (TTY).

Federal Communications Commission.
Daniel Kahn,
Associate Bureau Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2020-26917 Filed 12-7-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P