Rural Call Completion Legislation Heads to President's Desk

Bipartisan legislation to improve rural call completion passed the US House of Representatives and now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. The Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act will direct the Federal Communications Commission to require providers that transmit voice calls to register with the agency and establish quality standards for transmitting voice calls. These reforms will help ensure small businesses, families, and emergency responders in rural America can once again rely upon their telephone calls being completed. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) issued the following statement:

“Folks who live and work in rural communities throughout South Dakota don’t always enjoy the luxury of something as simple as phone call completion, a task most people in more urban areas might take for granted,” said Chairman Thune. “While significant improvements have been made over the years, too many rural business owners and customers are still facing challenges when they pick up a phone, dial a number, and hope to hear a voice on the other end of the line. This bipartisan legislation will make additional progress in improving rural telecommunications service, and I want to thank Sen. Klobuchar for her leadership on this important issue.”