For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Withers, 703-351-2087, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (September 8, 2016)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today thanked members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for holding the hearing, “Rural Call Quality and Reliability,” and expressed optimism that legislation can play a role in putting an end to the problem.
“NTCA thanks Reps. Walden, Latta and Welch for organizing today’s hearing and giving NTCA member company McClure Telephone Co. and Dakin Farm, a small business that is served by NTCA member company Waitsfield & Champlain Valley Telecom, the ability to share their rural call completion stories,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “I would also like to thank Rep. David Young for his sponsorship of bipartisan legislation and his dedication to ending the call completion issue that has plagued rural communities for far too long.
“The inability of people to receive phone calls greatly weakens the reliability of our telecommunications networks and threatens the safety, commerce and well-being of people not just in rural America but throughout the country,” Bloomfield said. “We are optimistic that this legislation can play an important role in putting an end to the issue once and for all, and we look forward to continued engagement with Congress and the FCC to this end.”
The full text of the written testimonies of McClure Telephone President and General Manager Lance Miller and Dakin Farm General Manager Eric LeBeau are available online.
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing more than 800 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA’s members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us atwww.ntca.org.