STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL O’RIELLY
Re: Rural Call Completion, WC Docket No. 13-39.
Today, the Commission takes further steps to address rural call completion concerns.  Although 
prior decisions and enforcement actions have targeted problematic practices leading to a significant 
decline in carrier complaints, this issue has remained a concern for some small rural providers and their 
customers.  
Just recently, Congress spoke on the issue, enacting the Improving Rural Call Quality and 
Reliability Act of 2017.  Therefore, it is our responsibility to implement the law, and the item seeks 
comment on how best to do so.  The Commission also adopts rule changes to replace certain reporting 
requirements with an enhanced monitoring approach.  We may have been wise to see the impact of the 
new law before considering broader changes to our rules, and we probably could have tackled some 
things differently.  Nonetheless, I appreciate the work of my colleagues to help ensure that providers who 
take reasonable steps to safeguard against rural call completion problems are not subject to unwarranted 
enforcement actions.  
I vote to approve.