US Representative Marc Molinaro (NY-19) has announced he is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to bring in technology which will reroute calls that go to the National 988 Crisis Lifeline to a local call center.
Molinaro’s Office said unlike 911 calls, which are automatically rerouted to a local call center based on the caller’s location, 988 calls are routed based through a person’s area code and not current location. If someone moves or is traveling and calls 988, it may be sent to a call center that is hundreds of miles away from the caller.
Congressman Molinaro said in a letter to Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the FCC urging the FCC to immediately implement geo-routing technology that will allow someone who calls 988 will be then routed to a local call center.
“When someone experiencing a crisis calls the 988 mental health hotline, they should be able to talk to someone that’s familiar with their community and who can direct them to local resources. If a Binghamton resident calls 988, a Southern Tier call center will always be better situated to provide support than say a call center in Alabama. That’s why I’m pushing the FCC to implement new technology so 988 calls are sent directly to local call centers. If implemented, this effort can save lives.” Molinaro said in a release.
