91636 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

comment. The written comment is 

considered the official comment and 

should include discussion of all points 

you wish to make. The EPA will 

generally not consider comments or 

comment contents located outside of the 

primary submission (i.e., on the web, 

cloud, or other file sharing system). For 

additional submission methods, the full 

EPA public comment policy, 

information about CBI or multimedia 

submissions, and general guidance on 

making effective comments, please visit 

https://www.epa.gov/dockets/ 

commenting-epa-dockets. 

The EPA encourages electronic 

submittals, but if you are unable to 

submit electronically or need other 

assistance, please contact Robin 

Billings, the contact listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. 

Please also contact Robin Billings if you 

need assistance in a language other than 

English or if you are a person with 

disabilities who needs a reasonable 

accommodation at no cost to you. 

All documents in the docket are listed 

in the www.regulations.gov index. 

Publicly available docket materials are 

available electronically in 

www.regulations.gov. For alternative 

access to docket materials, please 

contact Robin Billings, the contact listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robin Billings; RCRA Programs and 

Cleanup Branch; Land, Chemicals and 

Redevelopment Division; U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency; 

Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth 

Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960; 

telephone number: (404) 562–8515; fax 

number: (404) 562–9964; email address: 

billings.robin@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document proposes to take action on 

Tennessee’s changes to its hazardous 

waste management program under the 

Resource Conservation and Recovery 

Act (RCRA), as amended. We have 

published a final action authorizing 

these changes in the ‘‘Rules and 

Regulations’’ section of this Federal 

Register because we view this as a 

noncontroversial action and anticipate 

no adverse comment. We have 

explained our reasons for this action in 

the preamble to the final action. 

If we receive no adverse comment, we 

will not take further action on this 

proposed rule. If we receive adverse 

comment, we will either withdraw the 

final action, or issue a notice containing 

a response to comments that either 

reverses the decision or affirms that the 

final action will take effect. In the event 

that the final action is withdrawn, we 

would address all public comments in 

a subsequent final action and make any 

further decision on the authorization of 

the State program changes after 

considering all comments received 

during the comment period. 

We do not intend to institute a second 

comment period on this action. Any 

parties interested in commenting must 

do so at this time. For further 

information, please see the information 

provided in the ADDRESSES section of 

this document. 

Dated: November 6, 2024. 

Jeaneanne Gettle, 

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26923 Filed 11–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 52 

[WC Docket No. 18–336; FCC 24–111; FR 

ID 260903] 

Implementation of the National Suicide 

Hotline Act of 2018 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal 

Communications Commission 

(Commission) proposes and seeks 

comment on requiring covered text 

providers, including wireless providers, 

to support georouting to ensure that the 

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 

Lifeline or Lifeline) may route covered 

988 text messages to appropriate local 

crisis centers. Covered 988 text 

messages are currently routed to crisis 

centers using information conveyed by 

the number assigned to a help-seeker’s 

device, such as an area code, which may 

not match the text user’s physical 

location. To better connect 988 text 

users with critical local intervention 

services, the Commission proposes to 

require covered text providers to send 

georouting data to the 988 Lifeline to the 

same extent that they are required to 

send covered 988 text messages to the 

Lifeline. 

DATES: Comments are due on or before 

December 20, 2024, and reply comments 

are due on or before January 9, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by WC Docket No. 18–336, by 

any of the following methods: 

D Federal Communications 

Commission’s Website: http://

apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

D People with Disabilities: Contact the 

FCC to request reasonable 

accommodations (accessible format 

documents, sign language interpreters, 

CART, etc.) by email: FCC504@fcc.gov 

or phone: 202–418–0530 or TTY: 202– 

418–0432. 

For detailed instructions for 

submitting comments and additional 

information on the rulemaking process, 

see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section of this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Merry Wulff, Attorney Advisor, 

Competition Policy Division, Wireline 

Competition Bureau, at Merry.Wulff@

fcc.gov or at (202) 418–1084. For 

additional information concerning the 

Paperwork Reduction Act proposed 

information collection requirements 

contained in this document, send an 

email to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Nicole 

Ongele, Nicole.Ongele@fcc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Third 

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(FNPRM) in WC Docket No. 18–336, 

FCC 24–111, adopted October 17, 2024, 

and released October 18, 2024. The full 

text of this document is available for 

public inspection at the following 

internet address: https://docs.fcc.gov/ 

public/attachments/FCC-24-111A1.pdf. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The FNPRM may contain proposed 

new and revised information collection 

requirements. The Commission, as part 

of its continuing effort to reduce 

paperwork burdens, invites the general 

public and Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) to comment on the 

information collection requirements 

contained in this document, as required 

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(Pub. L. 104–13). In addition, pursuant 

to the Small Business Paperwork Relief 

Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107–198) see 44 

U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), we seek specific 

comment on how we might further 

reduce the information collection 

burden for small business concerns with 

fewer than 25 employees. 

Comment Filing Procedures 

Pursuant to §§ 1.415 and 1.419 of the 

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 1.415, 

1.419, interested parties may file 

comments and reply comments on or 

before the dates indicated on the first 

page of this document. Comments may 

be filed using the Commission’s 

Electronic Comment Filing System 

(ECFS). 

• Electronic Filers: Comments may be 

filed electronically using the internet by 

accessing the ECFS: https://

www.fcc.gov/ecfs/. 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / Proposed Rules 91637 

• Paper Filers: Parties who choose to 

file by paper must file an original and 

one copy of each filing. 

• Filings can be sent by hand or 

messenger delivery, by commercial 

courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. 

All filings must be addressed to the 

Secretary, Federal Communications 

Commission. 

• Hand-delivered or messengerdelivered paper filings for the 

Commission’s Secretary are accepted 

between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. by the FCC’s 

mailing contractor at 9050 Junction 

Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. 

All hand deliveries must be held 

together with rubber bands or fasteners. 

Any envelopes and boxes must be 

disposed of before entering the building. 

• Commercial courier deliveries (any 

deliveries not by the U.S. Postal Service) 

must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, 

Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. 

• Filings sent by U.S. Postal Service 

First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and 

Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 

L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. 

People with Disabilities: To request 

materials in accessible formats for 

people with disabilities (braille, large 

print, electronic files, audio format), 

send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call 

the Consumer & Governmental Affairs 

Bureau at 202–418–0530 (voice), 202– 

418–0432 (TTY). 

Confidentiality. Some information 

and materials requested by this FNPRM 

may be confidential and proprietary. 

Individuals and entities may request 

that confidential and proprietary 

information submitted to the 

Commission be withheld from public 

inspection consistent with § 0.459 of the 

Commission’s rules. 

Ex Parte Rules 

This proceeding in this FNPRM shall 

be treated as a ‘‘permit-but-disclose’’ 

proceeding in accordance with the 

Commission’s ex parte rules. Persons 

making ex parte presentations must file 

a copy of any written presentation or a 

memorandum summarizing any oral 

presentation within two business days 

after the presentation (unless a different 

deadline applicable to the Sunshine 

period applies). Persons making oral ex 

parte presentations are reminded that 

memoranda summarizing the 

presentation must (1) list all persons 

attending or otherwise participating in 

the meeting at which the ex parte 

presentation was made, and (2) 

summarize all data presented and 

arguments made during the 

presentation. If the presentation 

consisted in whole or in part of the 

presentation of data or arguments 

already reflected in the presenter’s 

written comments, memoranda, or other 

filings in the proceeding, the presenter 

may provide citations to such data or 

arguments in his or her prior comments, 

memoranda, or other filings (specifying 

the relevant page and/or paragraph 

numbers where such data or arguments 

can be found) in lieu of summarizing 

them in the memorandum. Documents 

shown or given to Commission staff 

during ex parte meetings are deemed to 

be written ex parte presentations and 

must be filed consistent with 

§ 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by 

§ 1.49(f) or for which the Commission 

has made available a method of 

electronic filing, written ex parte 

presentations and memoranda 

summarizing oral ex parte 

presentations, and all attachments 

thereto, must be filed through the 

electronic comment filing system 

available for that proceeding, and must 

be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, 

.xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants 

in this proceeding should familiarize 

themselves with the Commission’s ex 

parte rules. 

Providing Accountability Through 

Transparency Act 

The Providing Accountability 

Through Transparency Act (Pub. L. 

118–9) requires each agency, in 

providing notice of a rulemaking, to 

post online a brief plain-language 

summary of the proposed rule. The 

required summary of this FNPRM is 

available at https://www.fcc.gov/ 

proposed-rulemakings. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 

1980, as amended (RFA) requires that an 

agency prepare a regulatory flexibility 

analysis for notice and comment 

rulemakings, unless the agency certifies 

that ‘‘the rule will not, if promulgated, 

have a significant economic impact on 

a substantial number of small entities.’’ 

Accordingly, the Commission has 

prepared an Initial Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) concerning 

the possible impact of the potential rule 

and policy changes contained in the 

FNPRM. The Commission invites the 

general public, particularly small 

businesses, to comment on the IRFA. 

Comments must be filed by the 

deadlines for comments on the FNPRM 

indicated on the first page of this 

document and must have a separate and 

distinct heading designating them as 

responses to the IRFA and must be filed 

in WC Docket No. 18–336. 

Synopsis 

Third Further Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking 

1. Texting is an important mode of 

communication to the 988 Lifeline and 

is the preferred means of 

communicating among certain 

demographic groups, many of whom are 

at increased risk for mental health 

crises. In this FNPRM, we propose to 

require that covered text providers 

support georouting to ensure that the 

988 Lifeline may route covered 988 text 

messages to the appropriate local crisis 

center to enhance the support and 

resources available to text users in 

crisis. We also tentatively conclude that, 

at a minimum, Commercial Mobile 

Radio Service providers must support 

georouting for Short Message Service 

(SMS) text messages to 988. In addition, 

we propose that covered text providers 

be subject to requirements to send 

georouting data to the 988 Lifeline to the 

same extent that they are currently 

required to send covered 988 texts to the 

988 Lifeline. These proposed 

requirements will build on the 

implementation of georouting for 

wireless 988 voice calls and ensure 

parity between texts and voice calls to 

988. 

Background 

2. In 2021, the Commission adopted 

requirements for covered text providers 

to route covered 988 text messages to 

the 988 Lifeline. The Commission 

defined ‘‘covered text provider’’ as 

including ‘‘all CMRS providers as well 

as all providers of interconnected text 

messaging services that enable 

consumers to send text messages to and 

receive text messages from all or 

substantially all text-capable U.S. 

telephone numbers, including through 

the use of applications downloaded or 

otherwise installed on mobile phones.’’ 

The Commission’s goal in the 2021 

Text-to-988 Second Report and Order, 

87 FR 398 (Jan. 5, 2022), was to make 

text-to-988 rapidly available nationwide 

to improve access to mental health 

resources, while balancing the need for 

covered text providers to flexibly choose 

the most effective method of 

compliance. The Commission defined 

‘‘covered 988 text message’’ as ‘‘a 988 

text message in SMS format and any 

other format that the Wireline 

Competition Bureau has determined 

must be supported by covered text 

providers.’’ Currently, the Commission 

requires covered text providers to route 

covered 988 texts to the 988 Lifeline, 

but it does not require covered text 

providers to provide any additional 

information about the location of the 


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91638 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

text user. Under the rules adopted in the 

Third Report and Order (FCC 24–111), 

published elsewhere in this issue of the 

Federal Register, texts to 988 must be 

delivered to the national suicide 

prevention and mental health crisis 

hotline system maintained by the 

Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 

and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In 

the Implementation of the National 

Suicide Hotline Act of 2018, Second 

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 

89 FR 46340 (May 29, 2024), we sought 

comment on improving routing for 988 

text messages. 

3. The Commission’s definition of 

‘‘988 text message’’ sets the possible 

scope of text formats which covered text 

providers may be obligated to support 

for the delivery of 988. ‘‘Covered 988 

text messages’’ are a subset of 988 text 

messages that are in SMS format or any 

other format that the Wireline 

Competition Bureau has determined 

must be supported by covered text 

providers. The Commission delegated to 

the Wireline Competition Bureau the 

authority to make future determinations 

to require covered text providers to 

support additional text formats in 

consultation with Federal partners and 

in consideration of what text formats the 

988 Lifeline is capable of receiving. The 

Wireline Competition Bureau annually 

consults with the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services’ (HHS) 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration (SAMHSA) on 

the implementation of any new texting 

formats to 988 and issues a Public 

Notice either announcing that no new 

texting formats are required or seeking 

comment on implementation parameters 

for covered text providers to transmit 

any additional text message formats to 

988. The Wireline Competition Bureau 

then may, under delegated authority, 

release a Public Notice requiring 

covered text providers to implement 

text-to-988 for these additional text 

message formats and setting 

implementation dates. As part of its 

annual consultation with SAMHSA, the 

Wireline Competition Bureau has only 

applied text-to-988 requirements to the 

text formats that the 988 Lifeline 

currently supports. At present, the 

Wireline Competition Bureau only 

requires covered text providers to route 

988 text messages in SMS format. 

Applicability of Georouting Proposed 

Rules to 988 Covered Text Providers 

4. In this FNPRM, we propose to 

require that covered text providers 

implement the capability to provide 

georouting data with covered 988 text 

messages to the Lifeline Administrator 

and provide georouting data with 

covered 988 text messages to the 

Lifeline Administrator. We propose that 

the scope of this requirement be 

consistent with the scope of the existing 

requirement for covered text providers 

to deliver covered 988 text messages to 

the 988 Lifeline. As with the delivery 

requirement for covered 988 text 

messages, we also propose to limit the 

application of text-to-988 georouting 

requirements to the text formats that the 

988 Lifeline supports. Given that the 

988 Lifeline currently only accepts SMS 

text messages, this proposal would 

require covered text providers to 

implement georouting only for SMS text 

messages as an initial matter. Should 

the 988 Lifeline begin to accept other 

text formats in the future, we anticipate 

that there would be a similar need for 

georouting data for such additional text 

formats. Under our proposed approach, 

we would direct the Wireline 

Competition Bureau to consult with 

SAMHSA as to whether the 988 Lifeline 

can accept georouting data with any 

newly identified text formats as part of 

its annual consultation process and to 

seek comment on applying georouting 

requirements to any newly identified 

text formats in its annual Public Notice. 

We also propose to delegate authority to 

the Wireline Competition Bureau to 

require covered text providers to 

implement georouting for any new text 

formats and to set an implementation 

date that is as prompt as is reasonably 

practical. This flexible approach would 

allow the Commission to evaluate on an 

ongoing basis whether to apply 

georouting requirements to any new 

formats that the 988 Lifeline may 

become capable of receiving in the 

future. 

5. Further, we tentatively conclude 

that at a minimum CMRS providers 

must support georouting for SMS text 

messages to 988. The record indicates 

that requiring CMRS providers to 

implement georouting for covered 988 

text messages will support the 988 

Lifeline’s mission and save lives. In 

addition, we believe it is likely that 

CMRS providers originate a substantial 

majority of texts currently received by 

the 988 Lifeline. Georouting for SMS 

text messages originated by CMRS 

providers would represent a substantial 

improvement in the percentage of 

covered 988 texts arriving at the 988 

Lifeline with georouting data. As 

discussed in the analysis of benefits and 

costs section, the benefits of 

implementing georouting for covered 

988 text messages appear to 

significantly outweigh the anticipated 

costs to CMRS providers. These benefits 

include improved support for certain 

populations with an increased risk of 

suicide. The record also suggests that it 

is technically feasible for CMRS 

providers to provide georouting data 

with texts to 988. The ongoing use of 

coarse location routing for texts to 911 

strongly suggests that CMRS providers 

have such location information 

available for routing SMS text messages 

to 988. In the 911 context, covered text 

providers are required to route texts to 

911 using coarse location (cell ID and 

cell sector) or other equivalent means 

that allows the covered text provider to 

route a texts to the appropriate PSAP. 

6. We seek comment on this approach 

and on our tentative conclusion. Should 

we instead limit the scope of the 

georouting rule language to one or more 

specific text formats, such as SMS, or to 

certain types of covered text providers, 

such as CMRS providers or covered text 

providers that have access to cellular 

networks? What are the benefits and 

drawbacks of each regulatory approach, 

and the impact to individuals that text 

the 988 Lifeline? 

Definitions 

7. In the text-to-988 georouting rules, 

we propose to include definitions of the 

terms ‘‘commercial mobile radio 

service,’’ ‘‘georouting data,’’ and 

‘‘Lifeline Administrator’’ that were 

adopted in the Third Report and Order 

(FCC 24–111), published elsewhere in 

this issue of the Federal Register. 

Additionally, we also propose to correct 

the text of § 52.201(b) of Commission’s 

rules to read ‘‘Commercial Mobile Radio 

Service’’ instead of ‘‘Commercial Mobile 

Radio Services.’’ We seek comment on 

our proposal. Are there any other terms 

that we should define or revise as they 

relate to the proposed georouting rules 

for covered text providers? We seek 

specific comment on how the proposed 

definition of ‘‘georouting data’’ impacts 

the text-to-988 georouting rules that we 

propose in this FNPRM. The definition 

specifically applies to ‘‘location data 

generated from cell-based location 

technology.’’ For which covered text 

providers, and in which circumstances, 

would georouting data so defined be 

available? Should we adopt a definition 

of ‘‘georouting data’’ for the text-to-988 

georouting rules that differs from the 

definition of this term for the georouting 

rules for voice calls to 988? 

Text-to-988 Georouting Data 

8. We propose to adopt and seek 

comment on a two-part requirement for 

covered text providers to: (1) have the 

capability to provide georouting data 

with covered 988 text messages to the 

Lifeline Administrator in a format 

compatible with the Lifeline’s routing 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / Proposed Rules 91639 

platform, to allow routing of the covered 

988 text message by the Lifeline 

Administrator to the appropriate crisis 

center based on the geographic area 

where the handset is located at the time 

the covered 988 text is initiated; and (2) 

provide georouting data, when 

available, with covered 988 text 

messages to the Lifeline Administrator 

sufficient to allow routing of the 

covered 988 text message by the Lifeline 

Administrator to the appropriate crisis 

center based on the geographic area 

where the handset is located at the time 

the covered 988 text is initiated. 

Covered text providers would be 

required to comply with this 

requirement six months from the 

effective date of final rules. We seek 

comment on this proposal. 

9. Several commenters support 

developing georouting capabilities for 

texts to the 988 Lifeline and indicate 

that parity for voice and text service to 

988 is an important goal. Several 

commenters specifically support a 

georouting requirement for texts. 

Although some parties argue that a 

georouting solution for texts is not 

necessary at this time because most 

texts are handled at the national rather 

than local level, we note that SAMHSA 

is currently expanding local response to 

texts to 988. To the extent that texts to 

988 are routed to local crisis centers as 

the result of SAMHSA’s evolving 

service offering, we believe those texts 

should be routed as accurately as voice 

calls in order to provide the most 

responsive care to text users, and seek 

comment on this belief. Washington 

Department of Health states that a 

georouting solution for texts to 988 

confers the same types of benefits as 

georouting for voice calls to 988. We 

seek comment on such benefits, and on 

any additional benefits specific to a 

georouting solution for texts to 988. 

Commenters emphasize that text 

messaging to the 988 Lifeline is a 

preferred communication method for 

certain groups, specifically young adults 

and LGBTQI+ individuals, as well as in 

certain situations in which greater 

privacy is needed or when cell 

reception is inadequate to complete a 

phone call. As a matter of equity, the 

benefits of georouting communications 

to 988 should extend to such groups and 

situations for which there is a 

preference or need to contact 988 via 

text messaging. Are there other specific 

communities or scenarios that would 

benefit from the implementation of 

georouting data for texts to 988? For 

example, does georouting for texts 

particularly benefit people who are deaf, 

deafblind, hard of hearing, speech 

disabled, or have other disabilities that 

impact communication? 

10. Several telecommunications 

industry commenters and one national 

backup provider for 988 text and chat 

services urge the Commission to refrain 

from adopting regulations for georouting 

covered text messages to the 988 

Lifeline. We specifically disagree with 

commenters who argue that existing 

routing mechanisms are adequate for 

purposes of the 988 Lifeline and seek 

comment on this position. Even if ‘‘the 

first six digits of the phone number of 

people reaching out to the Crisis Text 

Line are accurate to their state location 

approximately 86% of the time,’’ as 

reported by the Crisis Text Line, 

georouting texts to 988 based on cell 

location will ensure that an increased 

portion of users are quickly connected 

with local life-saving resources. We also 

believe that the benefits of georouting 

texts are not limited to instances in 

which the contact requires an 

emergency services intervention, as 

suggested by the Crisis Text Line. 

Instead, we consider that, as with voice, 

the benefits of georouting for text will 

extend to all text users connected to a 

local crisis center because such centers 

will be more familiar with the local 

area’s resources, as well as possibly 

being more familiar with cultural issues 

or community stressors in the text user’s 

area. While there are alternatives to 

automated georouting that can connect 

text users with local resources, the 

Commission remains committed to 

making it easier for those in crisis to get 

help. We seek comment on our analysis 

and this approach. 

11. The capability to provide 

georouting data. We seek comment on 

our proposed rule that covered text 

providers must have the capability to 

provide georouting data with covered 

988 text messages to the Lifeline 

Administrator in a format compatible 

with the Lifeline’s routing platform. In 

particular, we seek comment on 

potential georouting solutions for texts 

to the 988 Lifeline and on any progress 

to identify and implement a georouting 

solution for texts to 988 and the steps 

to complete implementation. We 

propose this requirement in two parts, 

with a separate requirement for covered 

text providers to obtain the capability to 

provide georouting data, in order to 

ensure that covered text providers 

deploy this life-saving technology on 

their networks by the proposed 

deadline, regardless of the 988 traffic 

that a covered text provider has 

historically originated. Is a separate 

requirement for covered text providers 

to obtain the capability to provide 

georouting data needed, or should the 

only georouting requirement for covered 

text providers be the requirement to 

provide georouting data to the 988 

Lifeline? 

12. Commenters indicate that some 

progress has been made, including by 

CMRS providers, to identify a 

georouting solution for covered 988 

texts, particularly for SMS. We are 

interested in hearing from CMRS 

providers and other involved parties on 

the details of such solutions and 

progress. We also seek information on 

any parties beyond the CMRS providers, 

other covered text providers, and the 

Lifeline Administrator and/or its 

vendors that would need to participate 

in a solution for georouting SMS texts 

that are currently sent to 988. For 

example, Intrado Life & Safety states 

that georouting to the 988 Lifeline is 

‘‘easily achievable . . . by applying the 

current routing infrastructure for text-to911 and changing to support the digits 

‘988’ in the Text Control Centers that 

Intrado Life & Safety and Comtech 

maintain for text-to-911.’’ We seek 

comment on the viability of this and any 

other solutions for providing georouting 

data to the 988 Lifeline with SMS texts, 

and the work that still needs to be done 

to timely deploy a solution on wireless 

networks. Consistent with our findings 

in the Third Report and Order, (FCC 24– 

111), published elsewhere in the 

Federal Register, at this time we do not 

seek comment on georouting solutions 

for 988 covered texts that would bypass 

the initial direct and centralized routing 

system of the 988 Lifeline. In what ways 

are any proposed solutions for 

providing georouting data with covered 

988 texts similar to or different from the 

solutions proposed for providing 

georouting data with wireless calls to 

988? Can the work done by CMRS 

providers either to implement 

georouting for 988 voice calls or to 

deploy text-to-911 be leveraged for textto-988? Are such solutions cost-effective 

and technologically feasible for both 

nationwide and non-nationwide CMRS 

providers and any other impacted 

covered text providers? What is the time 

frame for a pilot or testing any solutions, 

and what would be the anticipated time 

frame for moving from testing to 

operational deployment? We also seek 

data, documents, and other information 

that provide details about the current 

status of any proposed georouting 

solutions for covered 988 texts. 

13. In addition, we seek comment on 

what technical challenges may arise in 

providing georouting data with covered 

988 text messages, and specifically what 

challenges would arise for CMRS 

providers and any other impacted 

covered text providers that originate 


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SMS text messages to provide 

georouting data with SMS text messages 

to 988. Commenters disagree on the 

difficulty of implementing a georouting 

solution for texts to 988. Some 

commenters allude to technical 

challenges but fail to provide specific 

details as to the nature and scope of 

such challenges. We seek additional 

insights or comments on any such 

challenges. 

14. We disagree with arguments that 

the Commission should not adopt 

georouting requirements for SMS text 

messages to 988 based on the same 

reasoning underlying our decision to 

defer consideration of 911 locationbased routing requirements for SMS, 

namely, the absence of supporting 

standards and that not all local centers 

can receive texts. While we did consider 

such factors in the Location-Based 

Routing Order, 89 FR 18488 (Mar. 13, 

2024), the record in that proceeding also 

indicated that implementing locationbased routing for texts to 911 would 

require extensive retrofitting of legacy 

SMS networks. No similar record exists 

in this proceeding, and indeed, Intrado 

Life & Safety argues that implementing 

georouting for text-to-988 could be as 

simple as changes ‘‘to support the digits 

‘988’ in the Text Control Centers that 

Intrado Life & Safety and Comtech 

maintain for text-to-911’’ with no other 

provider-required changes for 

implementation. A Text Control Center 

(TCC) is a controlling functional 

element specified in a relevant standard 

for text-to-911. The TCC has the 

responsibility to ‘‘(1) convert various 

protocols and act as a gateway; (2) 

request location that may be used for 

routing; (3) request routing instructions; 

and (4) initiate a dialogue with the 

PSAP through the appropriate 

interworking function of the TCC. When 

the TCC receives an initial text message, 

it obtains location from the [location 

server]. It then uses that location to 

obtain routing instructions from the 

[routing server]. Then, the TCC converts 

the text message to an appropriate 

protocol and initiates a dialogue with 

the [Public Safety Answering Point] (via 

the emergency services network) 

through the appropriate interworking 

function of the TCC.’’ Even if there are 

no existing standards for the interface to 

transmit location information between 

the Short Message Service Center 

(SMSC) and the TCC for texts to 988, the 

TCC is likely able to retrieve the 

location of the text to 988 from the 

CMRS provider’s Gateway Mobile 

Location Center (GMLC) using existing 

practices for texts to 911. A SMSC is a 

network element of a Commercial 

Mobile Service Provider network which 

distributes SMS messages. A GMLC is 

the point of interface between the GSM 

wireless network and the Emergency 

Services Network. The GMLC retrieves, 

forwards, stores and controls position 

data associated with wireless callers. 

We seek comment on this analysis. 

Further, 911 location-based routing and 

georouting for 988 use different 

granularity of data and different entities 

perform the routing function. 911 

location-based routing uses precise data 

on the location of the device to route 

911 calls to the appropriate destination, 

whereas georouting for 988 can be 

accomplished with less granular 

information, such as the Federal 

Information Processing Series (FIPS) 

code or wire center. For 911 calls and 

texts, covered text providers determine 

the destination for routing based on 

available location information; for 988 

calls and texts, it remains the purview 

of the 988 Lifeline and its administrator 

to route 988 calls and texts based on 

location data provided by the provider. 

CTIA’s argument that we should not 

extend georouting requirements to 

covered 988 text messages based on our 

actions in the 911 location-based 

routing proceeding are unpersuasive 

due to these technical differences 

between these routing methodologies 

and differences in the record thus far 

received. We seek comment on this 

analysis. 

15. Providing georouting data. We 

seek comment on our proposed 

requirement for covered text providers 

to provide georouting data, when 

available, with covered 988 text 

messages to the Lifeline Administrator 

sufficient to allow routing of the 

covered 988 text message by the Lifeline 

Administrator to the appropriate crisis 

center based on the geographic area 

where the handset is located at the time 

the covered 988 text is initiated. As with 

voice calls, SAMHSA, the agency with 

oversight of the 988 Lifeline 

Administrator, must ultimately 

determine the routing data that it will 

deem acceptable and that it will require 

the 988 Lifeline to configure its systems 

to read. What georouting data should 

covered text providers be required to 

provide with covered 988 texts? Would 

georouting data for covered 988 texts 

differ from the data required for 

georouting voice calls to 988? In our 

proposed rule, we require that covered 

text providers provide georouting data 

with covered 988 texts ‘‘when 

available.’’ Is such a limitation 

necessary? Would it be preferable to 

require covered text providers to 

provide georouting data with texts to 

988 ‘‘when technically feasible’’? Given 

that the Commission currently only 

requires covered text providers to send 

SMS text messages to the 988 Lifeline, 

are there any situations in which 

georouting data for SMS texts would not 

be available, and if so, what are such 

situations? Are there situations in which 

CMRS providers in particular do not 

have access to geolocation data for SMS 

text messages to the 988 Lifeline, and 

how frequently do such situations 

occur? Are there certain types of 

covered text providers that originate 

SMS texts for which it is technologically 

infeasible to obtain georouting data, and 

if so, what are those types of providers? 

We invite commenters to provide 

additional data in the record on the 

number and/or percentage of covered 

988 texts originated by CMRS providers 

and other covered text providers. Do 

covered text providers besides CMRS 

providers have access to geolocation 

data, defined in this proceeding as ‘‘cellbased’’? Do they have access to other 

kinds of location data? If so, how is that 

location data generated and with what 

level of resolution? 

16. What steps do the Lifeline 

Administrator and/or its vendors need 

to take to be ready to receive georouting 

data for texts? What specific functions 

would the Lifeline Administrator and/or 

its service providers need to perform to 

successfully route texts to 

geographically appropriate crisis 

centers, once received by the 988 

Lifeline’s centralized routing platform? 

How many crisis centers can currently 

accept texts to 988, and are there plans 

to expand availability of local text 

resources? How would the 988 Lifeline 

determine the availability of a local 

crisis center to accept texts? Would texts 

to 988 route to a backup crisis center if 

no local crisis center was available? As 

the availability of text capabilities at 

local crisis centers grows, will routing 

requirements change, and how would 

the Lifeline Administrator update its 

routing? 

17. Currently, individuals can text 

‘‘pride’’ to 988 to be directly connected 

to an LGBTQI+ trained counselor or 

‘‘ayuda’’ to connect with a Spanishspeaking counselor, and veterans and 

service members who text 988 will be 

redirected to text 838255 to reach the 

Veterans Crisis Line. We seek comment 

on whether any georouting solutions for 

texts to 988 that are under development 

contemplate routing for such texts, and 

whether georouting solutions are 

needed when a text-to-988 user selects 

a specialized service. 

18. Implementation time frame. We 

propose that covered text providers 

comply with the proposed text-to-988 


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georouting requirements by a uniform 

implementation deadline of six months 

from the effective date of final rules. We 

seek comment on this approach. A sixmonth time frame is consistent with the 

Commission’s requirement in the 911 

context that covered text providers route 

texts to 911 to the appropriate PSAP 

within six months. We believe that 

enabling georouting for texts to 988 

should occur swiftly in order to provide 

improved service to text-to-988 users, 

and that rapid implementation will 

minimize confusion for both providers 

and individuals texting 988. Is six 

months an adequate amount of time for 

covered text providers to comply with 

the proposed requirements? If not, why? 

Should we adopt different compliance 

time frames for different kinds of 

covered text providers, such as 

nationwide or non-nationwide CMRS 

providers, or other interconnected text 

providers, as INCOMPAS suggests? We 

note that the Commission has 

previously provided uniform timelines 

for texting requirements across covered 

text providers and has declined to 

provide different timelines for different 

kinds of covered text providers. Is the 

situation different with georouting such 

that we should consider a different 

timeframe? 

19. We ask that commenters identify 

any work to comply with the proposed 

requirements and the estimated time to 

complete that work. Further, we ask that 

commenters identify any technical, 

financial, operational, legal, or other 

factors that may influence the time 

frame for delivering georouting data 

with all covered 988 text messages. At 

this time, the Commission only requires 

covered text providers to transmit SMS 

text messages to 988. If the Commission 

determines that covered text providers 

must support formats besides SMS, 

when should covered text providers be 

required to come into compliance with 

georouting requirements for new 

covered 988 text message formats? 

When do the Lifeline Administrator 

and/or its vendors anticipate that it 

could receive and begin using 

georouting data? Should we make 

compliance with the proposed 

requirements conditional on the ability 

of the Lifeline Administrator and/or its 

vendors to receive and use georouting 

data? Should we make the georouting 

requirements for covered 988 text 

messages effective six months after the 

Lifeline Administrator indicates that it 

can receive and use georouting data 

with text messages? Alternatively, 

should we make compliance conditional 

on the development of resources at the 

local level to respond to texts to 988? 

Legal Authority 

20. We tentatively conclude that the 

Commission has authority under Title 

III of the Act and the 21st Century 

Communications and Video 

Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) to 

adopt rules requiring covered text 

providers to deliver georouting data 

with covered 988 text messages, and we 

seek comment on this tentative 

conclusion. As discussed in the Text-to988 Second Report and Order, 87 FR 

398 (Jan. 5, 2022), Title III of the Act 

provides us a broad mandate to manage 

spectrum usage in the public interest. 

We believe Title III of the Act provides 

us sufficient authority to require CMRS 

providers to implement georouting for 

text-to-988 given the scope of the 

benefits we estimate will accrue as the 

result of these proposed rules. The 

CVAA grants us authority to adopt 

‘‘other regulations . . . as are necessary 

to achieve reliable, interoperable 

communication that ensures access by 

individuals with disabilities to an 

internet protocol-enabled emergency 

network.’’ The Commission has 

previously concluded that the 988 

Lifeline constitutes an emergency 

network and that text-to-988 service 

provides access to emergency services 

for people with disabilities, including 

those with hearing and speech 

disabilities. As a result, we believe the 

CVAA provides us authority to require 

interconnected text providers to 

implement georouting for text-to-988 

service because such steps improve 

access for people with disabilities to the 

988 network. We seek comment on our 

analysis and tentative conclusion. 

Benefits and Costs of 988 Georouting for 

Texts to 988 

21. In the Third Report and Order 

(FCC 24–111), published elsewhere in 

the Federal Register, we estimated 

benefits of $120 million from georouting 

wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline. We 

expect that layering on the capability to 

georoute texts to 988 and the data 

requirements entailed will add some 

incremental costs. We estimate fiveyear, text-to-988 georouting benefits of 

nearly $17 million. Wireless carriers 

have offered no specific, credible 

estimates of implementation costs. We 

seek comment on this analysis and 

encourage commenters to submit more 

granular data on costs and benefits. 

Benefits 

22. Reduced Suicide Mortality. 

Suicide elicits shock, anguish, grief, and 

guilt among survivors. Imitators often 

follow suit, creating clusters that 

compound communities’ suffering. 

While we lack the tools to quantify and 

monetize this burden on communities, 

we can acknowledge its vastness. 

Similarly, we cannot measure the full 

benefit of suicide prevention. We can, 

however, estimate what communities 

might be willing to pay to prevent 

suicide, more formally the value of 

reduced mortality risk (VRMR). We 

tentatively conclude that the VRMR for 

the ability to send texts to 988 is large 

and seek comment on this tentative 

conclusion and analysis. 

23. In estimating the benefits for 

implementing georouting for covered 

texts to 988, we focus on the benefits 

that specifically would accrue to youth 

and young adults that have been 

exposed to text-to-988 misroutes. We 

seek comment on this approach. The 

record in this proceeding indicates that 

young Americans, who are 

disproportionately at risk for mental 

health crises, prefer communicating by 

text rather than calls. Studies tell us that 

children, on average, get their first 

cellphones by 11.6 years of age. By the 

age of 13, 95% percent of teenagers have 

access to a smartphone, and 97% of 

teens 15–17 years old own a 

smartphone. The American Foundation 

for Suicide Prevention cites a 2022 

study’s finding that ‘‘over three-quarters 

of the texts to the Crisis Text Line in one 

twelve-month period were initiated by 

individuals under the age of 25.’’ More 

precisely, 76% of 988 texts are 

generated by youth and young adults 24 

and younger. Because 988 texts are 

routed using cellphone numbers, like 

voice calls to 988, some fraction of texts 

to 988 are bound to be misrouted. Heavy 

reliance on texting renders youth the 

demographic group most vulnerable to 

988 text misrouting. The fraction of 

youth and young adults at risk is large. 

The Crisis Text Line’s comments tell us 

that ‘‘[c]urrently, texts to 988 are routed 

utilizing cell phone area codes’’ and 

‘‘the first six digits of the phone number 

of people reaching out to Crisis Text 

Line are accurate to their state location 

approximately 86% of the time.’’ From 

that statistic, we infer that the remaining 

14% of texts routed by the first six digits 

of the originating device are inaccurate 

to their state location, or geographically 

mismatched. In 2022, there were nearly 

72.5 million youth and young adults 17 

and under, of whom 791 committed 

suicide after that year’s July 16 launch 

of 988. Whether we allocate by number 

of months (i.e., 6/12 = 0.5) or by total 

suicides for July–December (i.e., 24,742/ 

49,746 = 0.500008085), half of any age 

cohort’s suicides can be attributed to 

July–December 2022. We do not know 

what fraction of youth outreach to 988 


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would be by text; conservatively, we 

assume one half. This implies about 

55.4 (= 791 * 14%/2) young persons 

would have been exposed to text-to-988 

misroutes. We seek comment on this 

analysis and encourage commenters to 

submit additional data on the benefits to 

implementing georouting for texts to 

988. 

24. Georouting texts could have 

reduced suicide mortality. The Crisis 

Text Line points out that 

‘‘approximately less than 3% of all 988 

contacts resulting (sic) in an emergency 

services intervention requiring local 

support,’’ meaning emergency 

intervention could have benefited at 

minimum about 1.66 (= 3% * 791 * 

14%/2) youth suicide victims annually 

whose dispatch might be subject to 

delays due to misrouting. The comment 

record suggests that misrouting causes 

customized, local crisis-intervention 

services to arrive late or not at all, 

delaying effective interventions. We 

examine the consequences for suicide 

mortality of a minimal, one-minute 

delay in the effectiveness of texts to 988. 

Commission staff have previously 

estimated that a one-minute reduction 

in emergency response time can reduce 

mortality by 17%. A 17% reduction in 

the total number of deaths attributable 

to suicide among youth 17 and under 

with possible geographic mismatch 

would amount to about 0.28 (= 17% * 

3% * 791 * 14%/2) fewer annual death 

due to suicide, a mortality-reduction 

risk for which Americans would 

collectively be willing to pay $3.5 (= 

0.28 * $12.5) million annually. The 

present value of a five-year stream of 

such payments is $16.5 million. We use 

a VRMR of $12.5 million. The present 

value of five equal annual payments 

using OMB Circular A–4’s discount rate 

of 2% is ∼$16,500,000. We seek 

comment on this analysis and 

additional data we should consider. 

25. Other Benefits and Possible 

Benefits Underestimation. We suspect 

that our tally underestimates the 

benefits of georouting texts to 988 for 

several other reasons and seek comment 

on our analysis herein. First, along with 

suicide reduction, it is expected that 

text-to-988 georouting will reduce 

suicide attempts and their 

accompanying medical, lost-work, and 

lost-quality-of-life costs. We have not 

estimated these benefits but seek 

comment on their validity and impact. 

Second, our reliance on the Crisis Text 

Line’s assertion that the first six digits 

of the phone number are accurate to the 

user’s state location approximately 86% 

of the time is likely an overestimation 

of the accuracy rate of texts reaching the 

appropriate 988 crisis center. We 

consider, in particular, that in large, 

populous states such as California, 

Florida, New York, and Texas—the four 

states that are collectively home to more 

than one-third of U.S. population—there 

are vast economic, cultural, and 

language differences within their 

borders that could hinder effective 

suicide intervention if the text is not 

routed to the 988 crisis center serving 

the location of the text user. Even 

though we rely on the Crisis Text Line’s 

estimation, our analysis likely overstates 

the percentage of texts that are currently 

routed to the appropriate 988 crisis 

center. As a result, the benefits of our 

proposed intervention are likely 

underestimated. We seek comment on 

this assumption and our rationale. 

26. Another reason our tally may 

underestimate the benefits of georouting 

texts to 988 is that youths 17 and under 

are the age cohort losing the greatest 

number of productive years of life to 

suicide. In 2022 alone, the 1,582 

suicides among youth 17 and under cost 

the U.S. 78,866 potential years of life 

before age 65, the typical retirement age. 

Our age-agnostic valuation of reduced 

mortality may not fully capture this 

loss. In addition, 24% of texts to 988 are 

generated by adults; therefore, by 

excluding adults we overlook the 

prevention a sizable fraction of the 

47,891 suicides among those 18 and 

older, for whom we proffer no estimated 

benefits of mortality reduction. Further, 

we do include morbidity and property 

costs associated with unsuccessful 

suicide attempts. Finally, we have not 

reckoned at all with the vast, 

unquantifiable benefits of sparing 

victims’ families, friends, and 

communities the emotional devastation 

of losing children to suicide. We seek 

comment on the magnitude of any 

benefits that we may have overlooked or 

underestimated. More generally, we 

seek comment on our benefits estimates 

and the methodology underlying them. 

In particular, we seek comment on the 

assumptions used to identify and 

estimate the number of text-to-988 

misroutes among youth 17 and under. 

We seek comment on the number of 988 

misroutes occurring among adults 18 

and older. We also seek comment on the 

extent of text-to-988 misroutes that may 

be occurring among LGBTQI+ 

individuals, racial and ethnic 

minorities, veterans, and other 

communities at disproportionately 

greater risk of suicide. 

Costs 

27. AT&T, the Crisis Text Line, and 

CTIA warn of significant text-to-988 

implementation challenges, both on the 

processing and receiving ends of 988 

texts, and urge the Commission to either 

delay or altogether refrain from 

requiring text-to-988 capability. 

INCOMPAS advocates a four-year textto-988 implementation timeline for nonnationwide wireless providers. 

According to Intrado Life & Safety, on 

the other hand, ‘‘developing a text-to988 solution for both the current 988 

Lifeline network and state ESInets tells 

us the problem is easily addressable 

from a technical standpoint. 

Implementing text-to-988 is easily 

achievable through either the current 

988 Lifeline or to a state’s ESInet by 

applying the current routing 

infrastructure for text-to-911 and 

changing to support the digits ‘988’ in 

the Text Control Centers that Intrado 

Life & Safety and Comtech maintain for 

text-to-911.’’ Intrado Life & Safety 

continues, ‘‘[p]roviders should not 

require any other changes for 

implementation. The only credible 

barrier to text-to-988 is that the 988 

Lifeline network is likely not currently 

capable of georouting text-to-988 calls, 

but this potential barrier disappears if 

providers leverage the states’ existing 

NG911 infrastructure.’’ Given competing 

claims regarding implementation costs, 

we seek comment on credible, specific 

estimates of implementation costs and 

how such costs may vary by type or size 

of provider, network technology, or 

along any other relevant dimension. 

What are the key costs of setting up 

geolocation for covered 988 texts? What 

are the costs for covered text providers 

to have the capability to provide 

georouting data with covered 988 text 

messages? What are the costs for 

covered text providers to provide 

georouting data with covered 988 text 

messages, when available, to the 988 

Lifeline? What aspects of 

implementation of georouting for 988 

voice calls will transfer to geolocation 

for covered 988 texts at minimal 

additional cost? We seek comment on 

the cost to providers of directly 

implementing our proposed 

requirements, or alternatively of 

purchasing the required services from a 

third-party. What costs are associated 

with Text Control Centers, if such a 

solution is chosen by covered text 

providers? We also seek detailed 

descriptions of the technical barriers to 

implementing georouting for text-to-988 

and specific, itemized estimates of the 

costs of overcoming those barriers, if 

possible. We seek detailed descriptions 

of the nature and costs of any proposed 

technically feasible solutions to 

implement text-to-988 and their 

accompanying timelines. 


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Other Efforts To Promote Digital Equity 

and Inclusion 

28. Digital Equity. The Commission, 

as part of its continuing effort to 

advance digital equity for all, including 

people of color, persons with 

disabilities, persons who live in rural or 

Tribal areas, and others who have been 

historically underserved, marginalized, 

and adversely affected by persistent 

poverty and inequality, invites 

comments on any equity-related 

considerations and benefits (if any) that 

may be associated with the proposals 

and issues discussed herein. 

Specifically, we seek comment on how 

our proposals may promote or inhibit 

advances in diversity, equity, inclusion, 

and accessibility, as well as the scope of 

the Commission’s relevant legal 

authority. 

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 

29. As required by the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended 

(RFA), the Commission has prepared 

this Initial Regulatory Flexibility 

Analysis (IRFA) of the possible 

significant economic impact on small 

entities by the policies and rules 

proposed in the Implementation of the 

National Suicide Hotline Improvement 

Act of 2018, Third Further Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM). Written 

public comments are requested on the 

IRFA. Comments must be identified as 

responses to the IRFA and must be filed 

by the deadlines for comments in the 

FNPRM. The Commission will send a 

copy of the FNPRM, including the IRFA, 

to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 

Small Business Administration (SBA). 

In addition, the FNPRM and IRFA (or 

summaries thereof) will be published in 

the Federal Register. 

Need for, and Objectives of, the 

Proposed Rules 

30. In the FNPRM, we propose to 

require 988 covered text providers to 

support georouting in order to ensure 

that the 988 Lifeline may route covered 

988 text messages to the appropriate 

local crisis center and enhance the 

support and resources available to text 

users in crisis. Currently, covered 988 

text messages are routed to local crisis 

centers using information conveyed by 

the number assigned to the device, such 

as the area code, which in many cases 

will not reflect the current location of 

the device user. Mental health and crisis 

counseling experts have opined that 

connecting callers in crisis with local 

crisis centers is important to connect 

life-saving services to those in need of 

public health and safety resources and 

enable them to speak with local 

counselors who may be more familiar 

with cultural issues or community 

stressors in the caller’s area. To better 

connect 988 text users with local crisis 

resources, we propose to adopt and seek 

comment on a two-part requirement for 

covered text providers to: (1) have the 

capability to provide georouting data 

with covered 988 text messages to the 

Lifeline Administrator; and (2) provide 

georouting data, when available, with 

covered 988 text messages to the 

Lifeline Administrator. Covered text 

providers would be required to comply 

with this requirement six months from 

the effective date of final rules. 

Legal Basis 

31. The proposed action is authorized 

under §§ 1, 2, 4, 201, 218, 251(e), 301, 

303, 307, 309(a), 316, 332, and 615c of 

the Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154, 201, 

218, 251(e), 301, 303, 307, 309(a), 316, 

332, and 615c. 

Description and Estimate of the Number 

of Small Entities to Which the Proposed 

Rules Will Apply 

32. The RFA directs agencies to 

provide a description of, and where 

feasible, an estimate of the number of 

small entities that may be affected by 

the proposed rules and by the rule 

revisions on which the Notice seeks 

comment, if adopted. The RFA generally 

defines the term ‘‘small entity’’ as 

having the same meaning as the terms 

‘‘small business,’’ ‘‘small organization,’’ 

and ‘‘small governmental jurisdiction.’’ 

In addition, the term ‘‘small business’’ 

has the same meaning as the term 

‘‘small-business concern’’ under the 

Small Business Act. A ‘‘small-business 

concern’’ is one which: (1) is 

independently owned and operated; (2) 

is not dominant in its field of operation; 

and (3) satisfies any additional criteria 

established by the SBA. 

33. Small Businesses, Small 

Organizations, Small Governmental 

Jurisdictions. Our actions, over time, 

may affect small entities that are not 

easily categorized at present. We 

therefore describe, at the outset, three 

broad groups of small entities that could 

be directly affected herein. First, while 

there are industry specific size 

standards for small businesses that are 

used in the regulatory flexibility 

analysis, according to data from the SBA 

Office of Advocacy, in general a small 

business is an independent business 

having fewer than 500 employees. These 

types of small businesses represent 

99.9% of all businesses in the United 

States, which translates to 33.2 million 

businesses. 

34. Next, the type of small entity 

described as a ‘‘small organization’’ is 

generally ‘‘any not-for-profit enterprise 

which is independently owned and 

operated and is not dominant in its 

field.’’ The Internal Revenue Service 

(IRS) uses a revenue benchmark of 

$50,000 or less to delineate its annual 

electronic filing requirements for small 

exempt organizations. Nationwide, for 

tax year 2022, there were approximately 

530,109 small exempt organizations in 

the U.S. reporting revenues of $50,000 

or less according to the registration and 

tax data for exempt organizations 

available from the IRS. 

35. Finally, the small entity described 

as a ‘‘small governmental jurisdiction’’ 

is defined generally as ‘‘governments of 

cities, counties, towns, townships, 

villages, school districts, or special 

districts, with a population of less than 

fifty thousand.’’ U.S. Census Bureau 

data from the 2022 Census of 

Governments indicate there were 90,837 

local governmental jurisdictions 

consisting of general purpose 

governments and special purpose 

governments in the United States. Of 

this number, there were 36,845 general 

purpose governments (county, 

municipal, and town or township) with 

populations of less than 50,000 and 

11,879 special purpose governments 

(independent school districts) with 

enrollment populations of less than 

50,000. Accordingly, based on the 2022 

U.S. Census of Governments data, we 

estimate that at least 48,724 entities fall 

into the category of ‘‘small 

governmental jurisdictions.’’ 

36. Wired Telecommunications 

Carriers. The U.S. Census Bureau 

defines this industry as establishments 

primarily engaged in operating and/or 

providing access to transmission 

facilities and infrastructure that they 

own and/or lease for the transmission of 

voice, data, text, sound, and video using 

wired communications networks. 

Transmission facilities may be based on 

a single technology or a combination of 

technologies. Establishments in this 

industry use the wired 

telecommunications network facilities 

that they operate to provide a variety of 

services, such as wired telephony 

services, including VoIP services, wired 

(cable) audio and video programming 

distribution, and wired broadband 

internet services. By exception, 

establishments providing satellite 

television distribution services using 

facilities and infrastructure that they 

operate are included in this industry. 

Wired Telecommunications Carriers are 

also referred to as wireline carriers or 

fixed local service providers. 


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37. The SBA small business size 

standard for Wired Telecommunications 

Carriers classifies firms having 1,500 or 

fewer employees as small. U.S. Census 

Bureau data for 2017 show that there 

were 3,054 firms that operated in this 

industry for the entire year. Of this 

number, 2,964 firms operated with 

fewer than 250 employees. 

Additionally, based on Commission 

data in the 2022 Universal Service 

Monitoring Report, as of December 31, 

2021, there were 4,590 providers that 

reported they were engaged in the 

provision of fixed local services. Of 

these providers, the Commission 

estimates that 4,146 providers have 

1,500 or fewer employees. 

Consequently, using the SBA’s small 

business size standard, most of these 

providers can be considered small 

entities. 

38. Local Exchange Carriers (LECs). 

Neither the Commission nor the SBA 

has developed a size standard for small 

businesses specifically applicable to 

local exchange services. Providers of 

these services include both incumbent 

and competitive local exchange service 

providers. Wired Telecommunications 

Carriers is the closest industry with an 

SBA small business size standard. 

Wired Telecommunications Carriers are 

also referred to as wireline carriers or 

fixed local service providers. The SBA 

small business size standard for Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers classifies 

firms having 1,500 or fewer employees 

as small. U.S. Census Bureau data for 

2017 show that there were 3,054 firms 

that operated in this industry for the 

entire year. Of this number, 2,964 firms 

operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Additionally, based on 

Commission data in the 2022 Universal 

Service Monitoring Report, as of 

December 31, 2021, there were 4,590 

providers that reported they were fixed 

local exchange service providers. Of 

these providers, the Commission 

estimates that 4,146 providers have 

1,500 or fewer employees. 

Consequently, using the SBA’s small 

business size standard, most of these 

providers can be considered small 

entities. 

39. Incumbent Local Exchange 

Carriers (Incumbent LECs). Neither the 

Commission nor the SBA have 

developed a small business size 

standard specifically for incumbent 

local exchange carriers. Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers is the 

closest industry with an SBA small 

business size standard. The SBA small 

business size standard for Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers classifies 

firms having 1,500 or fewer employees 

as small. U.S. Census Bureau data for 

2017 show that there were 3,054 firms 

in this industry that operated for the 

entire year. Of this number, 2,964 firms 

operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Additionally, based on 

Commission data in the 2022 Universal 

Service Monitoring Report, as of 

December 31, 2021, there were 1,212 

providers that reported they were 

incumbent local exchange service 

providers. Of these providers, the 

Commission estimates that 916 

providers have 1,500 or fewer 

employees. Consequently, using the 

SBA’s small business size standard, the 

Commission estimates that the majority 

of incumbent local exchange carriers 

can be considered small entities. 

40. Competitive Local Exchange 

Carriers (CLECs). Neither the 

Commission nor the SBA has developed 

a size standard for small businesses 

specifically applicable to local exchange 

services. Providers of these services 

include several types of competitive 

local exchange service providers. Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers is the 

closest industry with a SBA small 

business size standard. The SBA small 

business size standard for Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers classifies 

firms having 1,500 or fewer employees 

as small. U.S. Census Bureau data for 

2017 show that there were 3,054 firms 

that operated in this industry for the 

entire year. Of this number, 2,964 firms 

operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Additionally, based on 

Commission data in the 2022 Universal 

Service Monitoring Report, as of 

December 31, 2021, there were 3,378 

providers that reported they were 

competitive local service providers. Of 

these providers, the Commission 

estimates that 3,230 providers have 

1,500 or fewer employees. 

Consequently, using the SBA’s small 

business size standard, most of these 

providers can be considered small 

entities. 

41. Interexchange Carriers (IXCs). 

Neither the Commission nor the SBA 

have developed a small business size 

standard specifically for Interexchange 

Carriers. Wired Telecommunications 

Carriers is the closest industry with a 

SBA small business size standard. The 

SBA small business size standard for 

Wired Telecommunications Carriers 

classifies firms having 1,500 or fewer 

employees as small. U.S. Census Bureau 

data for 2017 show that there were 3,054 

firms that operated in this industry for 

the entire year. Of this number, 2,964 

firms operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Additionally, based on 

Commission data in the 2022 Universal 

Service Monitoring Report, as of 

December 31, 2021, there were 127 

providers that reported they were 

engaged in the provision of 

interexchange services. Of these 

providers, the Commission estimates 

that 109 providers have 1,500 or fewer 

employees. Consequently, using the 

SBA’s small business size standard, the 

Commission estimates that the majority 

of providers in this industry can be 

considered small entities. 

42. Local Resellers. Neither the 

Commission nor the SBA have 

developed a small business size 

standard specifically for Local Resellers. 

Telecommunications Resellers is the 

closest industry with a SBA small 

business size standard. The 

Telecommunications Resellers industry 

comprises establishments engaged in 

purchasing access and network capacity 

from owners and operators of 

telecommunications networks and 

reselling wired and wireless 

telecommunications services (except 

satellite) to businesses and households. 

Establishments in this industry resell 

telecommunications; they do not 

operate transmission facilities and 

infrastructure. Mobile virtual network 

operators (MVNOs) are included in this 

industry. The SBA small business size 

standard for Telecommunications 

Resellers classifies a business as small if 

it has 1,500 or fewer employees. U.S. 

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that 

1,386 firms in this industry provided 

resale services for the entire year. Of 

that number, 1,375 firms operated with 

fewer than 250 employees. 

Additionally, based on Commission 

data in the 2022 Universal Service 

Monitoring Report, as of December 31, 

2021, there were 207 providers that 

reported they were engaged in the 

provision of local resale services. Of 

these providers, the Commission 

estimates that 202 providers have 1,500 

or fewer employees. Consequently, 

using the SBA’s small business size 

standard, most of these providers can be 

considered small entities. 

43. Toll Resellers. Neither the 

Commission nor the SBA have 

developed a small business size 

standard specifically for Toll Resellers. 

Telecommunications Resellers is the 

closest industry with a SBA small 

business size standard. The 

Telecommunications Resellers industry 

comprises establishments engaged in 

purchasing access and network capacity 

from owners and operators of 

telecommunications networks and 

reselling wired and wireless 

telecommunications services (except 

satellite) to businesses and households. 

Establishments in this industry resell 

telecommunications; they do not 

operate transmission facilities and 


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infrastructure. Mobile virtual network 

operators (MVNOs) are included in this 

industry. The SBA small business size 

standard for Telecommunications 

Resellers classifies a business as small if 

it has 1,500 or fewer employees. U.S. 

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that 

1,386 firms in this industry provided 

resale services for the entire year. Of 

that number, 1,375 firms operated with 

fewer than 250 employees. 

Additionally, based on Commission 

data in the 2022 Universal Service 

Monitoring Report, as of December 31, 

2021, there were 457 providers that 

reported they were engaged in the 

provision of toll services. Of these 

providers, the Commission estimates 

that 438 providers have 1,500 or fewer 

employees. Consequently, using the 

SBA’s small business size standard, 

most of these providers can be 

considered small entities. 

44. Other Toll Carriers. Neither the 

Commission nor the SBA has developed 

a definition for small businesses 

specifically applicable to Other Toll 

Carriers. This category includes toll 

carriers that do not fall within the 

categories of interexchange carriers, 

operator service providers, prepaid 

calling card providers, satellite service 

carriers, or toll resellers. Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers is the 

closest industry with a SBA small 

business size standard. The SBA small 

business size standard for Wired 

Telecommunications Carriers classifies 

firms having 1,500 or fewer employees 

as small. U.S. Census Bureau data for 

2017 show that there were 3,054 firms 

in this industry that operated for the 

entire year. Of this number, 2,964 firms 

operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Additionally, based on 

Commission data in the 2022 Universal 

Service Monitoring Report, as of 

December 31, 2021, there were 90 

providers that reported they were 

engaged in the provision of other toll 

services. Of these providers, the 

Commission estimates that 87 providers 

have 1,500 or fewer employees. 

Consequently, using the SBA’s small 

business size standard, most of these 

providers can be considered small 

entities. 

45. Prepaid Calling Card Providers. 

Neither the Commission nor the SBA 

has developed a small business size 

standard specifically for prepaid calling 

card providers. Telecommunications 

Resellers is the closest industry with a 

SBA small business size standard. The 

Telecommunications Resellers industry 

comprises establishments engaged in 

purchasing access and network capacity 

from owners and operators of 

telecommunications networks and 

reselling wired and wireless 

telecommunications services (except 

satellite) to businesses and households. 

Establishments in this industry resell 

telecommunications; they do not 

operate transmission facilities and 

infrastructure. Mobile virtual network 

operators (MVNOs) are included in this 

industry. The SBA small business size 

standard for Telecommunications 

Resellers classifies a business as small if 

it has 1,500 or fewer employees. U.S. 

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that 

1,386 firms in this industry provided 

resale services for the entire year. Of 

that number, 1,375 firms operated with 

fewer than 250 employees. 

Additionally, based on Commission 

data in the 2022 Universal Service 

Monitoring Report, as of December 31, 

2021, there were 62 providers that 

reported they were engaged in the 

provision of prepaid card services. Of 

these providers, the Commission 

estimates that 61 providers have 1,500 

or fewer employees. Consequently, 

using the SBA’s small business size 

standard, most of these providers can be 

considered small entities. 

46. Wireless Telecommunications 

Carriers (except Satellite). This industry 

comprises establishments engaged in 

operating and maintaining switching 

and transmission facilities to provide 

communications via the airwaves. 

Establishments in this industry have 

spectrum licenses and provide services 

using that spectrum, such as cellular 

services, paging services, wireless 

internet access, and wireless video 

services. The SBA size standard for this 

industry classifies a business as small if 

it has 1,500 or fewer employees. U.S. 

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that 

there were 2,893 firms in this industry 

that operated for the entire year. Of that 

number, 2,837 firms employed fewer 

than 250 employees. Additionally, 

based on Commission data in the 2022 

Universal Service Monitoring Report, as 

of December 31, 2021, there were 594 

providers that reported they were 

engaged in the provision of wireless 

services. Of these providers, the 

Commission estimates that 511 

providers have 1,500 or fewer 

employees. Consequently, using the 

SBA’s small business size standard, 

most of these providers can be 

considered small entities. 

47. Cable and Other Subscription 

Programming. The U.S. Census Bureau 

defines this industry as establishments 

primarily engaged in operating studios 

and facilities for the broadcasting of 

programs on a subscription or fee basis. 

The broadcast programming is typically 

narrowcast in nature (e.g., limited 

format, such as news, sports, education, 

or youth-oriented). These 

establishments produce programming in 

their own facilities or acquire 

programming from external sources. The 

programming material is usually 

delivered to a third party, such as cable 

systems or direct-to-home satellite 

systems, for transmission to viewers. 

The SBA small business size standard 

for this industry classifies firms with 

annual receipts less than $47 million as 

small. Based on U.S. Census Bureau 

data for 2017, 378 firms operated in this 

industry during that year. Of that 

number, 149 firms operated with 

revenue of less than $25 million a year 

and 44 firms operated with revenue of 

$25 million or more. Based on this data, 

the Commission estimates that a 

majority of firms in this industry are 

small. 

48. Cable Companies and Systems 

(Rate Regulation). The Commission has 

developed its own small business size 

standard for the purpose of cable rate 

regulation. Under the Commission’s 

rules, a ‘‘small cable company’’ is one 

serving 400,000 or fewer subscribers 

nationwide. Based on industry data, 

there are about 420 cable companies in 

the U.S. Of these, only seven have more 

than 400,000 subscribers. In addition, 

under the Commission’s rules, a ‘‘small 

system’’ is a cable system serving 15,000 

or fewer subscribers. Based on industry 

data, there are about 4,139 cable systems 

(headends) in the U.S. Of these, about 

639 have more than 15,000 subscribers. 

Accordingly, the Commission estimates 

that the majority of cable companies and 

cable systems are small. 

49. Cable System Operators (Telecom 

Act Standard). The Communications 

Act of 1934, as amended, contains a size 

standard for a ‘‘small cable operator,’’ 

which is ‘‘a cable operator that, directly 

or through an affiliate, serves in the 

aggregate fewer than one percent of all 

subscribers in the United States and is 

not affiliated with any entity or entities 

whose gross annual revenues in the 

aggregate exceed $250,000,000.’’ For 

purposes of the Telecom Act Standard, 

the Commission determined that a cable 

system operator that serves fewer than 

498,000 subscribers, either directly or 

through affiliates, will meet the 

definition of a small cable operator. 

Based on industry data, only six cable 

system operators have more than 

498,000 subscribers. Accordingly, the 

Commission estimates that the majority 

of cable system operators are small 

under this size standard. We note 

however, that the Commission neither 

requests nor collects information on 

whether cable system operators are 

affiliated with entities whose gross 

annual revenues exceed $250 million. 


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Therefore, we are unable at this time to 

estimate with greater precision the 

number of cable system operators that 

would qualify as small cable operators 

under the definition in the 

Communications Act. 

50. All Other Telecommunications. 

This industry is comprised of 

establishments primarily engaged in 

providing specialized 

telecommunications services, such as 

satellite tracking, communications 

telemetry, and radar station operation. 

This industry also includes 

establishments primarily engaged in 

providing satellite terminal stations and 

associated facilities connected with one 

or more terrestrial systems and capable 

of transmitting telecommunications to, 

and receiving telecommunications from, 

satellite systems. Providers of internet 

services (e.g. dial-up ISPs) or Voice over 

internet Protocol (VoIP) services, via 

client-supplied telecommunications 

connections are also included in this 

industry. The SBA small business size 

standard for this industry classifies 

firms with annual receipts of $40 

million or less as small. U.S. Census 

Bureau data for 2017 show that there 

were 1,079 firms in this industry that 

operated for the entire year. Of those 

firms, 1,039 had revenue of less than 

$25 million. Based on this data, the 

Commission estimates that the majority 

of ‘‘All Other Telecommunications’’ 

firms can be considered small. 

51. Radio and Television 

Broadcasting and Wireless 

Communications Equipment 

Manufacturing. This industry comprises 

establishments primarily engaged in 

manufacturing radio and television 

broadcast and wireless communications 

equipment. Examples of products made 

by these establishments are: 

transmitting and receiving antennas, 

cable television equipment, GPS 

equipment, pagers, cellular phones, 

mobile communications equipment, and 

radio and television studio and 

broadcasting equipment. The SBA small 

business size standard for this industry 

classifies businesses having 1,250 

employees or less as small. U.S. Census 

Bureau data for 2017 show that there 

were 656 firms in this industry that 

operated for the entire year. Of this 

number, 624 firms had fewer than 250 

employees. Thus, under the SBA size 

standard, the majority of firms in this 

industry can be considered small. 

52. Semiconductor and Related 

Device Manufacturing. This industry 

comprises establishments primarily 

engaged in manufacturing 

semiconductors and related solid state 

devices. Examples of products made by 

these establishments are integrated 

circuits, memory chips, 

microprocessors, diodes, transistors, 

solar cells and other optoelectronic 

devices. The SBA small business size 

standard for this industry classifies 

entities having 1,250 or fewer 

employees as small. U.S. Census Bureau 

data for 2017 show that there were 729 

firms in this industry that operated for 

the entire year. Of this total, 673 firms 

operated with fewer than 250 

employees. Thus under the SBA size 

standard, the majority of firms in this 

industry can be considered small. 

53. Software Publishers. This industry 

comprises establishments primarily 

engaged in computer software 

publishing or publishing and 

reproduction. Establishments in this 

industry carry out operations necessary 

for producing and distributing computer 

software, such as designing, providing 

documentation, assisting in installation, 

and providing support services to 

software purchasers. These 

establishments may design, develop, 

and publish, or publish only. The SBA 

small business size standard for this 

industry classifies businesses having 

annual receipts of $47 million or less as 

small. U.S. Census Bureau data for 2017 

indicate that 7,842 firms in this industry 

operated for the entire year. Of this 

number 7,226 firms had revenue of less 

than $25 million. Based on this data, we 

conclude that a majority of firms in this 

industry are small. 

54. Internet Service Providers (NonBroadband). Internet access service 

providers using client-supplied 

telecommunications connections (e.g., 

dial-up ISPs) as well as VoIP service 

providers using client-supplied 

telecommunications connections fall in 

the industry classification of All Other 

Telecommunications. The SBA small 

business size standard for this industry 

classifies firms with annual receipts of 

$40 million or less as small. For this 

industry, U.S. Census Bureau data for 

2017 show that there were 1,079 firms 

in this industry that operated for the 

entire year. Of those firms, 1,039 had 

revenue of less than $25 million. 

Consequently, under the SBA size 

standard a majority of firms in this 

industry can be considered small. 

55. Wired Broadband Internet Access 

Service Providers (Wired ISPs). 

Providers of wired broadband internet 

access service include various types of 

providers except dial-up internet access 

providers. Wireline service that 

terminates at an end user location or 

mobile device and enables the end user 

to receive information from and/or send 

information to the internet at 

information transfer rates exceeding 200 

kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one 

direction is classified as a broadband 

connection under the Commission’s 

rules. Wired broadband internet services 

fall in the Wired Telecommunications 

Carriers industry. The SBA small 

business size standard for this industry 

classifies firms having 1,500 or fewer 

employees as small. U.S. Census Bureau 

data for 2017 show that there were 3,054 

firms that operated in this industry for 

the entire year. Of this number, 2,964 

firms operated with fewer than 250 

employees. 

56. Additionally, according to 

Commission data on internet access 

services as of June 30, 2019, nationwide 

there were approximately 2,747 

providers of connections over 200 kbps 

in at least one direction using various 

wireline technologies. The Commission 

does not collect data on the number of 

employees for providers of these 

services, therefore, at this time we are 

not able to estimate the number of 

providers that would qualify as small 

under the SBA’s small business size 

standard. However, in light of the 

general data on fixed technology service 

providers in the Commission’s 2022 

Communications Marketplace Report, 

we believe that the majority of wireline 

internet access service providers can be 

considered small entities. 

57. Wireless Broadband Internet 

Access Service Providers (Wireless ISPs 

or WISPs). Providers of wireless 

broadband internet access service 

include fixed and mobile wireless 

providers. The Commission defines a 

WISP as ‘‘[a] company that provides 

end-users with wireless access to the 

internet[.]’’ Wireless service that 

terminates at an end user location or 

mobile device and enables the end user 

to receive information from and/or send 

information to the internet at 

information transfer rates exceeding 200 

kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one 

direction is classified as a broadband 

connection under the Commission’s 

rules. Neither the SBA nor the 

Commission have developed a size 

standard specifically applicable to 

Wireless Broadband internet Access 

Service Providers. The closest 

applicable industry with an SBA small 

business size standard is Wireless 

Telecommunications Carriers (except 

Satellite). The SBA size standard for this 

industry classifies a business as small if 

it has 1,500 or fewer employees. U.S. 

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that 

there were 2,893 firms in this industry 

that operated for the entire year. Of that 

number, 2,837 firms employed fewer 

than 250 employees. 

58. Additionally, according to 

Commission data on internet access 

services as of June 30, 2019, nationwide 


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there were approximately 1,237 fixed 

wireless and 70 mobile wireless 

providers of connections over 200 kbps 

in at least one direction. The 

Commission does not collect data on the 

number of employees for providers of 

these services, therefore, at this time we 

are not able to estimate the number of 

providers that would qualify as small 

under the SBA’s small business size 

standard. However, based on data in the 

Commission’s 2022 Communications 

Marketplace Report on the small 

number of large mobile wireless 

nationwide and regional facilities-based 

providers, the dozens of small regional 

facilities-based providers and the 

number of wireless mobile virtual 

network providers in general, as well as 

on terrestrial fixed wireless broadband 

providers in general, we believe that the 

majority of wireless internet access 

service providers can be considered 

small entities. 

59. All Other Information Services. 

This industry comprises establishments 

primarily engaged in providing other 

information services (except news 

syndicates, libraries, archives, internet 

publishing and broadcasting, and Web 

search portals). The SBA small business 

size standard for this industry classifies 

firms with annual receipts of $47 

million or less as small. U.S. Census 

Bureau data for 2017 show that there 

were 704 firms in this industry that 

operated for the entire year. Of those 

firms, 556 had revenue of less than $25 

million. Consequently, we estimate that 

the majority of firms in this industry are 

small entities. 

Description of Projected Reporting, 

Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance 

Requirements for Small Entities 

60. The FNPRM proposes and seeks 

comment on implementing new 

georouting rules for covered 988 text 

messages, that if adopted, may impose 

new or modified compliance obligations 

on small entities. In particular, we 

propose to require covered text 

providers to have the capability to 

provide and to actually provide 

georouting data to the 988 Lifeline with 

covered texts, when such information is 

available. We also propose that covered 

text providers be subject to georouting 

requirements to the same extent that 

they are currently required to send 

covered 988 texts to the 988 Lifeline. 

Covered text providers would be 

required to comply with this 

requirement six months from the 

effective date of final rules. In addition, 

we tentatively conclude that, at a 

minimum, Commercial Mobile Radio 

Service (CMRS) providers must support 

georouting for Short Message Service 

(SMS) text formats to the Lifeline. 

61. The record in the FNPRM 

indicates small providers may face 

various barriers to compliance, however 

it does not currently contain detailed 

information on the costs for covered text 

providers to implement georouting for 

covered 988 text messages. Therefore, at 

this time, the Commission is not in a 

position to determine whether 

implementation of georouting for 

covered 988 text messages would result 

in significant costs for covered text 

providers. To help the Commission 

more fully evaluate the cost of 

compliance, we seek additional detailed 

information on various cost issues 

implicated by our proposed rules. 

Specifically, we have requested 

information on technological challenges 

and the costs for covered text providers 

to implement georouting for covered 

988 text messages. We expect the 

information that we receive in response 

to our requested cost inquiries will help 

the Commission identify and evaluate 

compliance costs and burdens for small 

entities that may result from the 

proposals and inquiries we make in the 

FNPRM to implement georouting for 

covered 988 text messages. 

Steps Taken To Minimize the 

Significant Economic Impact on Small 

Entities, and Significant Alternatives 

Considered 

62. The RFA requires an agency to 

describe any significant alternatives that 

could minimize impacts to small 

entities that it has considered in 

reaching its proposed approach, which 

may include the following four 

alternatives (among others): (1) the 

establishment of differing compliance or 

reporting requirements or timetables 

that take into account the resources 

available to small entities; (2) the 

clarification, consolidation, or 

simplification of compliance or 

reporting requirements under the rule 

for such small entities; (3) the use of 

performance, rather than design, 

standards; and (4) an exemption from 

coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, 

for such small entities. 

63. In the FNPRM, the Commission 

seeks comment from all entities, 

including small entities, regarding the 

impact of the proposed rules on small 

entities. The Commission seeks 

comment on the impact, cost or 

otherwise, that requiring georouting for 

text-to-988 will impose on regional and 

rural carriers and small businesses. The 

Commission also seeks comment on 

whether to limit the scope of the 

georouting rule to one or more specific 

text formats, such as SMS, or to certain 

types of covered text providers, such as 

CMRS providers or covered text 

providers that have access to cellular 

networks. We will also consider 

whether the rule should require covered 

text providers provide georouting data 

with covered 988 texts ‘‘when 

available’’ as proposed, or instead 

provide georouting data with texts to 

988 ‘‘when technically feasible.’’ 

Further, the Commission asks whether 

to extend compliance time frames for 

different kinds of covered text 

providers, such as nationwide or nonnationwide CMRS providers or other 

kinds of interconnected text providers. 

Federal Rules That May Duplicate, 

Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed 

Rules 

64. None. 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 52 

Communications common carriers, 

Telecommunications, Telephone 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary. 

Proposed Rules 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Federal Communications 

Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR 

part 52 as follows: 

PART 52—NUMBERING 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 52 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 153, 154, 

155, 201–205, 207–209, 218, 225–227, 251– 

252, 271, 303, 332, unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Amend § 52.201 by: 

■ a. Revising paragraph (b); 

■ b. Adding in alphabetical order 

definitions for ‘‘Commercial mobile 

radio service (CMRS),’’ ‘‘Georouting 

data,’’ and ‘‘Lifeline Administrator’’ in 

paragraph (c); and 

■ c. Adding paragraph (d). 

The revisions and additions read as 

follows: 

§ 52.201 Texting to the National Suicide 

Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Hotline. 

* * * * * 

(b) Access to SMS networks for 988 

text messages. To the extent that 

Commercial Mobile Radio Service 

(CMRS) providers offer Short Message 

Service (SMS), they shall allow access 

by any other covered text provider to 

the capabilities necessary for 

transmission of 988 text messages 

originating on such other covered text 

providers’ application services. 

(c) * * * 

Commercial mobile radio service 

(CMRS) means a mobile service that is: 


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91648 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

(i)(A) Provided for profit, i.e., with the 

intent of receiving compensation or 

monetary gain; 

(B) An interconnected service; and 

(C) Available to the public, or to such 

classes of eligible users as to be 

effectively available to a substantial 

portion of the public; or 

(ii) The functional equivalent of such 

a mobile service described in paragraph 

(i)(A) of this definition. 

(iii) A variety of factors may be 

evaluated to make a determination 

whether the mobile service in question 

is the functional equivalent of a 

commercial mobile radio service, 

including: Consumer demand for the 

service to determine whether the service 

is closely substitutable for a commercial 

mobile radio service; whether changes 

in price for the service under 

examination, or for the comparable 

commercial mobile radio service, would 

prompt customers to change from one 

service to the other; and market research 

information identifying the targeted 

market for the service under review. 

(iv) Unlicensed radio frequency 

devices under part 15 of this chapter are 

excluded from this definition of 

Commercial mobile radio service. 

* * * * * 

Georouting data means location data 

generated from cell-based location 

technology that is aggregated to a level 

that will not identify the location of the 

cell site or base station receiving the 988 

call or text or otherwise identify the 

precise location of the handset. 

Lifeline Administrator is the entity 

that controls the 988 call routing 

platform pursuant to contract with the 

Substance Abuse Mental Health 

Services Administration. 

* * * * * 

(d) Georouting. By [DATE SIX 

MONTHS AFTER DATE OF 

PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL RULE], 

all covered text providers must: 

(1) Have the capability to provide 

georouting data with covered 988 text 

messages to the Lifeline Administrator 

in a format that is compatible with the 

Lifeline’s routing platform, to allow 

routing of the covered 988 text message 

by the Lifeline Administrator to the 

appropriate crisis center based on the 

geographic area where the handset is 

located at the time the covered 988 text 

is initiated. 

(2) Provide georouting data, when 

available, with covered 988 text 

messages to the Lifeline Administrator 

sufficient to allow routing of the 

covered 988 text message by the Lifeline 

Administrator to the appropriate crisis 

center based on the geographic area 

where the handset is located at the time 

the covered 988 text is initiated. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26795 Filed 11–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

49 CFR Part 371 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2023–0257] 

RIN 2126–AC63 

Transparency in Property Broker 

Transactions 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: FMCSA proposes 

amendments to its property broker rules 

in response to petitions for rulemaking 

from the Owner-Operator Independent 

Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the 

Small Business in Transportation 

Coalition (SBTC). Under current 

regulations, the parties to a brokered 

freight transaction have a right to review 

the broker’s record of the transaction, 

which stakeholders often refer to as 

‘‘broker transparency.’’ Contracts 

between brokers and motor carriers 

frequently contain waivers of this right. 

OOIDA requested that FMCSA 

promulgate a requirement that property 

brokers provide an electronic copy of 

each transaction record automatically 

within 48 hours after the contractual 

service has been completed, and 

explicitly prohibit brokers from 

including any provision in their 

contracts that requires a motor carrier to 

waive its rights to access the transaction 

records. SBTC requested that FMCSA 

prohibit brokers of property from 

coercing or requiring parties to brokers’ 

transactions to waive their right to 

review the record of the transaction as 

a condition for doing business and 

prohibit the use of clause(s) exempting 

the broker from having to comply with 

this transparency requirement. Though 

the proposed rule is responsive to the 

petitions in reinforcing the broker 

transparency requirement, the proposed 

provisions differ from those requested 

by OOIDA and SBTC. The proposed rule 

would revise the regulatory text to make 

clear that brokers have a regulatory 

obligation to provide transaction records 

to the transacting parties on request. 

The proposal would also make changes 

to the format and content of the records. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before January 21, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Docket Number FMCSA– 

2023–0257 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ 

FMCSA-2023-0257/document. Follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Mail: Dockets Operations, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590– 

0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Dockets 

Operations, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, West Building, Ground 

Floor, Washington, DC 20590–0001, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

To be sure someone is there to help you, 

please call (202) 366–9317 or (202) 366– 

9826 before visiting Dockets Operations. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Michael Evans, Transportation 

Specialist, Commercial Enforcement 

Division, Office of Safety, FMCSA, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590–0001; (202) 568–0530; 

michael.evans@dot.gov. If you have 

questions on viewing or submitting 

material to the docket, call Dockets 

Operations at (202) 366–9826. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FMCSA 

organizes this NPRM as follows: 

I. Public Participation and Request for 

Comments 

A. Submitting Comments 

B. Viewing Comments and Documents 

C. Privacy 

D. Comments on the Information 

Collection 

II. Executive Summary 

A. Purpose and Summary of the Regulatory 

Action 

B. Summary of Major Provisions 

C. Costs and Benefits 

III. Abbreviations 

IV. Legal Basis 

V. Background 

A. History of Property Broker Regulations 

B. History of the Current Rulemaking 

C. Related Actions 

VI. Discussion of Proposed Rulemaking and 

Comments 

A. Proposed Rulemaking 

B. Comments and Agency Responses 

C. Issues on Which the Agency Seeks 

Further Comment 

VII. Section-by-Section Analysis 

A. Section 371.2 Definitions. 

B. Section 371.3 Records To Be Kept by 

Brokers 

VIII. Regulatory Analyses 

A. E.O. 12866 (Regulatory Planning and 

Review), E.O. 13563 (Improving 

Regulation and Regulatory Review), E.O. 


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