NEW DIALING PROCEDURE FOR CUSTOMERS IN 785 and 620 AREA CODES!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 13, 2021
HOLYROOD, Kansas – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules on July 16, 2020, to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis centers. The rules require all phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.
In preparation to route calls directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, beginning April 24, 2021, all H&B customers in the 785 and 620 area codes should start dialing the area code + telephone number for local calls. All services, automatic dialing equipment or other types of equipment (life safety systems, fax machines, fire or burglar alarms, mobile contact lists, call forwarding ,etc.) that are programmed to complete local calls using only seven digit numbers will need to be reprogrammed to complete calls to 10-digit numbers. Customers will not have to change phone numbers and the price of the call will not change due to the dialing change.
Please note: Any local phone call made in the 785 or 620 area codes NOT using the area code will NOT go through after October 24, 2021 and a recording will inform callers that the call cannot be completed as dialed.
For now, people hoping for help are encouraged to continue dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
If there are any questions, do not hesitate to contact H&B’s office at 800-432-8296.
About H&B Communications
H&B Communications, incorporated in 1965, is a family owned and operated telecommunications company headquartered in Holyrood, Kansas. H&B serves eight communities with Fiber-to-the-Home, delivering broadband with speeds up to 1 Gig, Digital TV, and local and long-distance phone service. H&B also provides business IT solutions and phone systems. With a 24-hour Help Desk and on-call technicians, H&B customers are ensured superior technology and support.