Mandatory 10-digit dialing is coming to Haines this year.
At present, residents can use 7-digit dialing when placing local calls. Beginning April 24, residents are encouraged to practice dialing the area code in preparation for Oct 24, the day 10-digit dialing becomes mandatory, Alaska Power & Telephone (AP&T) said in a notice to customers.
The change is mandatory for the entire state and is the result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to adopt 988 as the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.
Local behavioral health clinician Kelly Williamson said she hasn’t been following the FCC’s decision, but said that in her professional experience, “the easiest and quickest way for someone to reach out for help is the best way.”
The transition to 10-digit dialing is required by the FCC for any area code that assigns 988 as a “central office code,” the three digits immediately following the area code. Eighty-four area codes fall into this category nationwide, including 907.
“In a nutshell, the 988 prefix is already used in a community within Alaska, and it would confuse the phone system when someone is trying to dial into the 988 hotline and would instead try to route it to the community,” AP&T Haines power operations manager Lance Caldwell said.
The change won’t just affect dialing, according to the AP&T notice. It could also require reprogramming cellphone contact lists, call forwarding settings, fax machines and security systems.
The new 988 number goes into effect July 16, 2022. Until then, the suicide lifeline number remains 1-800-273-TALK.