For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder Smith, 703-351-2086, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (May 9, 2016)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Policy Michael Romano in response to the FCC’s consent decree that announced inContact will pay a $100,000 to resolve a rural call completion investigation and implement a compliance plan:
“NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association welcomes and applauds the FCC’s investigation into the call completion epidemic. Unfortunately, the length of time between consent decrees and the ongoing nature of the crisis indicates how difficult it is to get to the root of the problem and the need for better tools and use of data to gain visibility into this marketplace. The continuing call completion problems emphasize the need for legislation to be enacted like that introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D–Minn.) and Rep. David Young (R–Iowa) to bring least-cost routers out of the shadows and put an end to the call completion problem once and for all. After many years of bad behavior at the expense of rural consumers, we look forward to working with members of Congress and the commission to ensure that all carriers and intermediate providers finally understand that practices that contribute to call failures will not be tolerated.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 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 at www.ntca.org.