Federal Communications Commission DA 19-287 DA 19-287 Released: April 15, 2019 WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES EFFECTIVE DATES OF RURAL CALL COMPLETION REGISTRY-RELATED REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERMEDIATE PROVIDERS AND COVERED PROVIDERS WC Docket No. 13-39 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau announces the effective dates of the rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on August 15, 2018 in a Third Report and Order (Third RCC Order) Rural Call Completion, Third Report and Order, 33 FCC Rcd 8400 (2018) (Third RCC Order). implementing the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017 (RCC Act). Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-129, 132 Stat 329 (2018) (RCC Act). Those rules are designed to ensure the integrity of our nation’s telephone network and prevent “unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States” in the delivery of telephone service. 47 U.S.C. § 262(c)(2). In particular, the Third RCC Order adopted rules to (1) require intermediate providers The term “intermediate provider” “means any entity that - (1) Enters into a business arrangement with a covered provider or other intermediate provider for the specific purpose of carrying, routing, or transmitting voice traffic that is generated from the placement of a call placed - (i) From an end user connection using a North American Numbering Plan resource; or (ii) To an end user connection using such a numbering resource; and (2) Does not itself, either directly or in conjunction with an affiliate, serve as a covered provider in the context of originating or terminating a given call.” 47 CFR § 64.2101. to register with the Commission before offering to transmit covered voice communications; Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8407, para. 17; see also 47 CFR § 64.2113. “The term ‘covered voice communication’ means a voice communication (including any related signaling information) that is generated—(A) from the placement of a call from a connection using a North American Numbering Plan resource or a call placed to a connection using such a numbering resource; and (B) through any service provided by a covered provider.” 47 U.S.C. § 262(i)(2). and (2) require covered providers to ensure that all intermediate providers involved in the transmission of their covered voice communications are registered with the Commission. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8410-11, para. 25; 47 CFR § 64.2117. The term “covered provider” “means a provider of long-distance voice service that makes the initial long-distance call path choice for more than 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines, counting the total of all business and residential fixed subscriber lines and mobile phones and aggregated over all of the providers’ affiliates. A covered provider may be a local exchange carrier as defined in § 64.4001(e), an interexchange carrier as defined in § 64.4001(d), a provider of commercial mobile radio service as defined in § 20.3 of this chapter, a provider of interconnected voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(25), or a provider of non-interconnected VoIP service as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(36) to the extent such a provider offers the capability to place calls to the public switched telephone network.” 47 CFR § 64.2101. On January 28, 2019, the Commission received Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of these rules. On April 15, 2019, the Commission announced, in the Federal Register, OMB approval of these rules and the effective date of these rules. Rural Call Completion, Final Rule, Announcement of Effective Date, 84 Fed. Reg. 15124 (Apr. 15, 2019). Specifically, the following rule provisions will take effect on the following dates: · Any intermediate provider “that offers or holds itself out as offering the capability to transmit covered voice communications from one destination to another and that charges any rate to any other entity (including an affiliated entity) for the transmission” 47 U.S.C. § 262(a). must register with the Commission. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8407, para. 17; 47 CFR § 64.2115. In the March 2019 Fourth RCC Order, the Commission clarified that the registry requirements in section 64.2115 do not apply to non-U.S. intermediate providers on calls terminating outside of the United States. See Rural Call Completion, Fourth Report and Order, FCC 19-23, para. 27 n.84 (2019) (Fourth RCC Order). Intermediate providers must register on or before May 15, 2019. · Any covered provider will have until August 13, 2019, 90 days from the effective date of the registry rules, to ensure that all intermediate providers involved in the transmission of its covered voice communications are registered with the Commission. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8416, para. 42; 47 CFR § 64.2117. Registrations must be submitted via the Commission’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/ipr. Instructions for submitting a registration can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/files/ipr-instructionspdf. Intermediate providers must submit any necessary updates because of changes to their registration information to the Commission within 10 business days of the change. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8408, para. 20; 47 CFR § 64.2115. Pursuant to the RCC Act, the Intermediate Provider Registry is publicly available on the Commission’s website. 42 U.S.C. § 262(d). A list of registered intermediate providers, published as a .csv file, may be downloaded at any time at https://www.fcc.gov/ipr-ext. Consistent with the Third RCC Order, any applicable check under the Commission’s “red-light” rule will be conducted after intermediate provider registration. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8410, para. 24. Under the red-light rule, the Commission will not process applications and other requests for benefits by parties that owe non-tax debt to the Commission. Id.; see also 47 CFR § 1.1910; FCC, Red Light Display System (RLDS), https://apps.fcc.gov/redlight/login.cfm. Thus, any entity registered in the Intermediate Provider Registry who is later discovered to be a delinquent debtor will be subject to appropriate action, including de-registration. Third RCC Order, 33 FCC Rcd at 8410, para. 24. For further information, contact Zachary Ross, Wireline Competition Bureau, Competition Policy Division, at (202) 418-1033 or via e-mail at zachary.ross@fcc.gov. - FCC - 2