WTA Applauds House Passage of Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 23, 2017) – WTA – Advocates for Rural Broadband applauds House passage of H.R. 460, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act, introduced by Representatives David Young (R-IA) and Peter Welch (D-VT). The bill will help ensure that telephone calls to rural areas are completed as required by law.
“We’re pleased that Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden decided to bring this bill to the floor at the beginning of the 115th Congress,” said Derrick Owens, WTA’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “This legislation is a priority for our member companies and will complement the work the FCC has already done on fixing the rural call completion problem. We appreciate the bipartisan work that Representatives Young, Welch and others have done to highlight this important issue.”
H.R. 460 requires the FCC to establish call completion standards for intermediary providers, that at times, do not route calls properly to rural areas. It forbids originating carriers from using intermediary providers that the FCC has designated as not meeting the agency’s standards. This bill passed the House last year, and though similar legislation was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee, it did not come to the Senate floor for a vote before the 114th Congress adjourned.
