..JULIUS GENACHOWSKI CHAIRMAN FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION January 24,2013 The Honorable Robert E. Latta U.S. House of Representatives 1323 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D. C. 20515 Dear Congressman Latta: Thank you for your letter regarding the problem of call completion in rural areas. The consequences of call completion and service quality problems can be dire, impacting families and businesses alike. I continue to be particularly concerned about adverse effects on the availability of reliable telephone service to consumers, businesses, and public health and safety officials in rural America. The NECA test project that you reference in your letter shows that overall completion and quality problems have improved since last year, but as you note, problems remain. Commission action in this area is continuing on multiple fronts, including working with our partners in state commissions to understand and reduce the problem, increasing coordination with the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and investigating carrier practices. These investigations have revealed how complicated this issue is, and how hard it can be to identify the responsible parties. But I remain fully committed to seeing them through and holding the appropriate parties responsible. The Commission's Rural Call Completion Task Force established an email box for rural providers to alert the Commission on a real-time basis about call completion problems. The Task Force also created a website (http://xrl.us/bm8fke) that focuses on the rural call completion problem and instructs consumers on how to file complaints with the Commission. Information provided through these sources is assisting the Commission in active investigations. The Declaratory Ruling that the Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued in February 2012, reminds carriers of their responsibilities and potential liability if they engage in, or use underlying providers that engage in, practices prohibited by the Communications Act or Commission rules. Appropriate action will be taken against any violation of the Act or Commission rules. I appreciate your concern and will keep your office informed of developments on the matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, - Julius Genachowski 445 12TH STREET S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 • 202-418-1000