Call completion problems persist, rural groups tell FCC

Rural association representatives recently discussed the ongoing issue of call routing and termination failures with the Federal Communications Commission.

NECA, the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunication Companies, and the Western Telecommunications Alliance met with Enforcement Bureau and Wireline Competition Bureau staff regarding the continuing problem of calls not properly completing to customers in rural areas. The associations said they were frustrated with the industry’s lack of appropriate and timely response and urged swift Commission action. Rural representatives also reported mixed results with the Commission-supplied carrier contact list. Anecdotal information showed it was effective in resolving issues with some carriers, but operated very poorly with others. Rural representatives have been meeting with the FCC for close to a year to bring attention to the growing problem of calls to rural customers that are being delayed or that fail to connect. In September, the FCC created a Rural Call Completion Task Force, which hosted a workshop in Washington in October to identify specific causes of the problem and discuss potential solutions with key stakeholders.