MAK-AIRS

 

Dear colleagues in 211,

 MaryEllen Mendl, Executive Director of Vermont 211 recently posted the following on the AIRS 211 Directors/Managers area the other day:

“Several of you have mentioned experiencing an issue when folks dial 211 from their cell phone using wifi. We have been experiencing this in VT since March, when it first came to our attention responding to COVID. I spoke with Senator Sanders office this morning regarding this national issue. I encourage you to do two things:

1.     Contact your congressional offices if you are experiencing this issue (chances are you are but you don't know it). Let them know the FCC is working diligently to get 988 set up and free of this type of issue...we want parity. Let's get this circulating in DC.

2.     Send me a quick email letting me know if you are experiencing the issue so I can give some sense of the scope of this issue.

Thank you!”

So listen to MaryEllen, contact your federal representatives and email her at maryellen@unitedwaysvt.org!

 In addition, MaryEllen alludes to the new rules being prepared by the FCC for the implementation of the 988 suicide prevention number. The FCC is endorsing a concept they call “ubiquitous deployment” which means that ALL wired, wireless and VoIP telecommunications providers MUST organize 988 dialing, they MUST get it done by a specific time, and they must do the work for FREE. These are great rules. We are happy that 988 will get that deserved implementation assistance. But we would also like those rules to also apply for 211.

Nearly everyone reading this has experienced problems with getting telco providers to properly translate to 211. The original FCC ruling only made it compulsory for wired services to switch and even then, it allowed them to charge a random fee for this service.

As a sector, we are preparing a formal request to the FCC for a rule change regarding 211.

We know that Verizon and AT&T are avoiding 211 dialing with their wifi service. We also know that many of you have experienced these and other switching problems.

So we want to hear about every instance over the last few years where you felt like tearing some hair out in dealing with 211 translation on any telecommunications medium (wired, wireless, VoIP, wifi). Sharing your stories strengthens our case!

So please, copy clive@airs.org in any email!

 Looking forward to reading your horror stories …

 Clive Jones

AIRS Executive Director
clive@airs.org