CenturyLink Urges Phase-In of 988 Hotline Implementation

Work required to implement a 988 national suicide prevention hotline necessitates a phased timeline rather than a fixed,18-month one, CenturyLink officials told FCC Wireline Bureau staff, recounted a docket 18-336 posting Friday. The company said the North American Numbering Plan Administrator and industry have an established process to transition areas doing seven-digit dialing to 10-digit, as would be required in some areas for 988 implementation, and that takes 13 months, with mandatory 10-digit dialing usually starting 12 months after that. CenturyLink urged phase-in with quick deployment on VoIP and wireless platforms and longer transition times for areas needing 10-digit dialing. Conversely, 211 could be implemented within six months, it said.