Dialing an Area Code Will Soon be Required on Almost All In-State Calls in U.S.
Bell System Western Electric Model 302 dial telephone, ca. 1936
A new three-digit abbreviated dialing code – 998 – to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will go into effect on July 16, 2022 and telephone customers located in 82 area codes in 36 states will be transitioned from seven-digit local dialing to ten-digit or 1+ dialing.
The Federal Communications Commission approved the new three-digit number that Americans will be able to dial to reach the 24-hour national hotline last July but the implementation of the new code requires significant changes in how the nation’s telephone network processes calls.
Callers can currently reach the hotline via a toll-free number, 800 273-8255.
The states impacted include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Vermont and area codes impacted by the change include 219, 302, 417, 509, 603, 716, 808, 907, 908, 912, and 914, among others.
The change goes into effect on April 24, 2021, although the use of ten-digit numbers or 1+ dialing will be optional in what is referred to as a “permissive period.” However, starting on October 24, 2021, the new dialing patterns will be mandatory. Telephone subscribers who dial a seven-digit local number will receive an intercept message saying that the call cannot be completed as dialed and that the subscriber should hang up and dial again using the correct dialing pattern.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
