Federal Communications Commission	"FCC/DA  XX-XXX"



DA 26-613
Released:  June 18, 2026

WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU CONFIRMS NO NEW TEXTING FORMATS FOR TEXT-TO-988
WC Docket No. 18-336

The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau), in accordance with the Text-to-988 Second Report and Order, provides notice that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Lifeline) will continue to receive and respond to short message service (SMS) messages See Implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018, WC Docket No. 18-336, Second Report and Order, 36 FCC Rcd 16901, 16916-17, para. 25 & n.108 (2021) (Text-to-988 Second Report and Order); see also 47 CFR § 64.1600(m) (“The term ‘short message service’ or SMS refers to a wireless messaging service that enables users to send and receive short text messages, typically 160 characters or fewer, to or from mobile phones and can support a host of applications.”).
 and that no new texting formats have been implemented or requested at this time.

In the Text-to-988 Second Report and Order, the Commission directed the Bureau to consult with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on whether they have implemented, or seek to implement, any new texting formats to 988, to ensure that our texting requirements keep pace with their need to provide critical, life-saving counseling over text messages. Text-to-988 Second Report and Order, 16916, para. 25. Additional texting formats could include multimedia message service (MMS), which “refers to a wireless messaging service that is an extension of the SMS protocol and can deliver a variety of media, and enables users to send pictures, videos, and attachments over wireless messaging channels.” See 47 CFR § 64.1600(k).
  The Bureau must also issue an annual public notice that either announces that no new texting formats are required or seeks comment on implementation parameters for covered text providers to transmit any additional text message formats to 988. See Text-to-988 Second Report and Order, 16916-17, para. 25 & n.108 (requiring the Bureau to issue the aforementioned public notice on or before June 30, 2023, and no less frequently than annually thereafter); see also Wireline Competition Bureau Confirms No New Texting Formats for Text-to-988, WC Docket No. 18-336, Public Notice, 38 FCC Rcd 5631 (WCB 2023); Wireline Competition Bureau Confirms No New Texting Formats for Text-to-988, WC Docket No. 18-336, Public Notice, 39 FCC Rcd 5836 (WCB 2024), Wireline Competition Bureau Confirms No New Texting Formats for Text-to-988, WC Docket No. 18-336, Public Notice, 40 FCC Rcd 4089 (WCB 2025).
  Although no new texting formats have been implemented or requested by our federal partners at this time, the Bureau will continue to coordinate with SAMHSA and the VA over the next year in order to facilitate any enhancements to this life-saving resource.

For further information, please contact Robert Martin at Robert.Martin@fcc.gov.

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