Today’s Regulatory Mix: Rules Would Establish July 2022 Deadline to Implement 988 Testing, Group to Explore Sharing 5G Spectrum
Rules Would Establish July 2022 Deadline to Implement 988 Texting
The FCC announced that Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed an order allowing people to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by texting to 988. The Lifeline is a national network that provides free, confidential support to Americans in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. If approved by a vote of the Commission at its November 18 Open Meeting, this proposed Second Report and Order would adopt an implementation deadline requiring covered text providers to support text messaging to 988 by July 16, 2022—the same date the FCC has established 988 as the 3-digit dialing code for Americans to reach the Lifeline by telephone. “Texting has become an integral part of how we stay in touch, with Americans sending an estimated 2.2 trillion text messages in 2020 alone. During a global pandemic where so many have felt isolated from their friends and family, and students have been separated from their peers, the ability to text to stay connected has proven even more critical,” said Rosenworcel.
Group to Explore Sharing 5G Spectrum
The National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) announced the launch of the Partnering to Advance Trusted and Holistic Spectrum Solutions (PATHSS) Task Group. This industry group will collaborate with the Department of Defense to explore sharing solutions to make more mid-band spectrum available for commercial 5G, specifically in 3.1-3.45 GHz. Working together, the group will identify and develop use cases based on a shared understanding of federal and commercial needs.
The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.
