For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Withers, 703-351-2087, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (August 15, 2018)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today commended the FCC for taking steps to implement the Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act, which seeks to resolve call quality and reliability issues that have plagued rural Americans for years. NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield issued the following statement in response to today’s FCC action:
“On behalf of small, rural communications providers and the millions of rural Americans they serve, NTCA is deeply grateful to the FCC for taking steps today to implement the Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act as signed into law earlier this year. The provisions of that law—as reflected in the measures that the FCC has adopted today—will enable much greater visibility and transparency into how calls are routed, helping we hope to ensure that more calls to rural Americans are completed. The order is also an important and necessary complement to new ‘monitoring procedures’ that the FCC has reinforced to promote improved and sustained performance in call completion. NTCA looks forward to continuing our work with the FCC and all stakeholders as these rules are implemented toward the goal of ensuring that every American can have confidence in the quality and reliability of the communications networks that serve them.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 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 transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks 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, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.