810 Phone Numbers Will Undergo Dialing Change

Port Huron, MI — There is plenty of time to get ready for a change affecting anyone with an 810, 616, 906, or 989 area code. Beginning on April 24th, callers are encouraged to start transitioning to 10-digit dialing instead of 7-digit dialing. In other words, dialing the area code along with the telephone number.

The change comes as a result of a new abbreviated dialing code for the suicide prevention hotline. The new code to reach the hotline will go into effect in July of 2022, and  the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants callers to be ready for the change well in advance.

The new code for the Suicide Prevention Hotline will be 988, which is currently being used as an area code in Michigan.

The Michigan Public Service Commission recognized that, “in order for 988 to dial directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, any area code that includes the 988 prefix must transition from 7-digit dialing (dialing without the area code) to 10-digit dialing (area code with the telephone number.”

Michigan residents calling numbers with an 810, 616, 906, or 989 area code can begin using 10-digit dialing at any time to get ahead of the change.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand