FCC Approves 9-8-8 for National Suicide Hotline

The commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently unanimously voted to approve 988 as the designated number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. According to the rules approved by the FCC, telephone service providers have a two-year period to transition 988 to the Lifeline.

This change is the result of continued work by NBCC and many other mental health organizations to ensure that a three-digit number was created for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. NBCC has also been working to advance the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act in both the House and the Senate. This legislation would provide funding and training for crisis counselors working with the Lifeline. That legislation has already passed the Senate, and we are continuing to work with allies in the House to have it passed there.