FCC announced that Level 3 Communications, LLC, a telecommunications
provider out of Colorado, will pay a voluntary $975,000 fine to the U.S.
Treasury for not completing calls to rural communities.
This announcement is a
positive development for rural consumers and their loved ones who have suffered
the frustration or fear of a call not completing because of circumstances
beyond their control. It also marks an important milestone in NTCA’s (a rural
broadband organization of which PTCI is a member) two years-plus campaign to
find a solution to this problem, which has included numerous meetings with FCC
staff, several Capitol Hill briefings, call completion test projects conducted
with our rural allies and a successful effort by Sen. Tim Johnson (D–S.D.) to
seek swift action via a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski that won the
support of more than 30 senators. Today’s action not only shows the commission
intends to be serious about holding companies accountable for carrying out
their fundamental duty as telecommunications providers; it also displays that
the commission recognizes the threats persistent call failures pose to public
safety and the general well-being of rural Americans.
NTCA hopes that this
announcement is the first of many to come as the FCC seeks to send a message
regarding the integrity and reliability of the nation’s telecommunications
networks. With continued vigilance and the commission’s intervention,
there may come a time when these kinds of actions are no longer needed. But we
are certainly not there yet. Therefore, in the coming weeks and months we
plan to continue holding discussions with commissioners and members of Congress
to lead the way forward on this issue. We also plan to file formal comments on
the notice of proposed rulemaking issued last month exploring new rules and data
collection efforts to combat rural call failures on a systemic basis.
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