According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 15 million American adults seriously thought about, planned to, or attempted suicide last year. Suicide claims the lives of over 48,000 annually—or one death every 11 minutes. And with the added stress of the pandemic, recent research found that one-third of Americans – more than ever before – are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recognized the importance of having a three-digit dialing code to access the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is why the new nationwide 988-emergency lifeline was created. TPx cares about workers’ mental health and well-being and is making the necessary changes to comply with Federal regulations and enable 988 for all our customers.
What is 988?
In July 2020, the FCC established new rules to enable 988 as the nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit dialing code for Americans in crisis to connect directly with suicide prevention mental health crisis counselors. For 988 to work properly, the FCC is requiring all phone providers to implement mandatory 10-digit local dialing nationwide and begin delivering all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.
Mandatory Ten-Digit Dialing
Beginning in April 2022, TPx will make changes to enforce ten-digit dialing. Customers who currently use seven-digit dialing for local phone calls must begin adding the area code and using ten-digit dialing for all calls placed after April 1, 2022.
This is especially important for our customers where their local exchange begins with the digits 988. You need to be aware of these dialing changes and begin practicing ten-digit dialing to prevent accidentally calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline when making local calls.
Transitioning to ten-digit dialing will not affect your current telephone number or area code. In California and in Illinois area code 708, you may also be required to dial the number “1” before the area code and the seven-digit local phone number for calls. Should you have any local 7-digit numbers stored in contact cards, customer records, or call forwarding settings, please make sure to update them to include the full 10 digits (area code + telephone number) to ensure calls are connected successfully.
When will TPx require Ten-Digit dialing?
Beginning in April 2022 and on a rolling bi-weekly scheduling ending in June 2022, customers in these identified areas will be required to dial all ten digits to make local calls:
California area codes
209, 530, 562, 626, 650, 707, 925, 949, 951
Nevada area codes
775
Texas area codes
254, 361, 409, 806, 830, 915, 940
If you have any questions regarding 10-digit dialing, please contact TPx Support.