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Union Calendar No. 629 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2566 

[Report No. 114–805] 

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of voice 

communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination 

among areas of the United States in the delivery of such communications. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2015 

Mr. YOUNG of Iowa (for himself, Mr. WELCH, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. PETERSON, 

Mr. POCAN, Mr. LOEBSACK, and Mr. NOLAN) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

NOVEMBER 14, 2016 

Additional sponsors: Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. DUFFY, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. KIND, Mr. LAMALFA, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. CRAMER, Mrs. 

NOEM, Mr. LATTA, and Mr. STEWART

NOVEMBER 14, 2016 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 21, 2015] 


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A BILL 

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the 

integrity of voice communications and to prevent unjust 

or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the 

United States in the delivery of such communications. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Rural Call 

5 Quality and Reliability Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMUNICA7 TIONS. 

8 Part II of title II of the Communications Act of 1934 

9 (47 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 262. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMU12 NICATIONS. 

13 ‘‘(a) REGISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE BY INTER14 MEDIATE PROVIDERS.—An intermediate provider that of15 fers or holds itself out as offering the capability to transmit 

16 covered voice communications from one destination to an17 other and that charges any rate to any other entity (includ18 ing an affiliated entity) for the transmission shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) register with the Commission; and 

20 ‘‘(2) comply with the service quality standards 

21 for such transmission to be established by the Com22 mission under subsection (c)(1)(B). 

23 ‘‘(b) REQUIRED USE OF REGISTERED INTERMEDIATE

24 PROVIDERS.—A covered provider may not use an inter25 mediate provider to transmit covered voice communications 


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1 unless such intermediate provider is registered under sub2 section (a)(1). 

3 ‘‘(c) COMMISSION RULES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

5 ‘‘(A) REGISTRY.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of enactment of this section, the 

7 Commission shall promulgate rules to establish a 

8 registry to record registrations under subsection 

9 (a)(1). 

10 ‘‘(B) SERVICE QUALITY STANDARDS.—Not 

11 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

12 this section, the Commission shall promulgate 

13 rules to establish service quality standards for 

14 the transmission of covered voice communica15 tions by intermediate providers. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In promulgating the 

17 rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission 

18 shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) ensure the integrity of the trans20 mission of covered voice communications to all 

21 customers in the United States; and 

22 ‘‘(B) prevent unjust or unreasonable dis23 crimination among areas of the United States in 

24 the delivery of covered voice communications. 


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1 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF REGISTRY.—The Com2 mission shall make the registry established under subsection 

3 (c)(1)(A) publicly available on the website of the Commis4 sion. 

5 ‘‘(e) SCOPE OF APPLICATION.—The requirements of 

6 this section shall apply regardless of the format by which 

7 any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 

8 format by which the transmission of such communication 

9 or service is achieved, or the regulatory classification of 

10 such communication or service. 

11 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec12 tion shall be construed to affect the regulatory classification 

13 of any communication or service. 

14 ‘‘(g) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this sec15 tion shall be construed to preempt or expand the authority 

16 of a State public utility commission or other relevant State 

17 agency to collect data, or investigate and enforce State law 

18 and regulations, regarding the completion of intrastate 

19 voice communications, regardless of the format by which 

20 any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 

21 format by which the transmission of such communication 

22 or service is achieved, or the regulatory classification of 

23 such communication or service. 

24 ‘‘(h) EXCEPTION.—The requirement under subsection 

25 (a)(2) to comply with the service quality standards estabVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:54 Nov 14, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2566.RH H2566

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1 lished under subsection (c)(1)(B) shall not apply to a cov2 ered provider that— 

3 ‘‘(1) on or before the date that is 1 year after the 

4 date of enactment of this section, has certified as a 

5 Safe Harbor provider under section 64.2107(a) of title 

6 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor reg7 ulation; and 

8 ‘‘(2) continues to meet the requirements under 

9 such section 64.2107(a). 

10 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) COVERED PROVIDER.—The term ‘covered 

12 provider’ has the meaning given the term in section 

13 64.2101 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 

14 any successor thereto. 

15 ‘‘(2) COVERED VOICE COMMUNICATION.—The 

16 term ‘covered voice communication’ means a voice 

17 communication (including any related signaling in18 formation) that is generated— 

19 ‘‘(A) from the placement of a call from a 

20 connection using a North American Numbering 

21 Plan resource or a call placed to a connection 

22 using such a numbering resource; and 

23 ‘‘(B) through any service provided by a cov24 ered provider. 


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1 ‘‘(3) INTERMEDIATE PROVIDER.—The term ‘in2 termediate provider’ means any entity that— 

3 ‘‘(A) enters into a business arrangement 

4 with a covered provider or other intermediate 

5 provider for the specific purpose of carrying, 

6 routing, or transmitting voice traffic that is gen7 erated from the placement of a call placed— 

8 ‘‘(i) from an end user connection using 

9 a North American Numbering Plan re10 source; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) to an end user connection using 

12 such a numbering resource; and 

13 ‘‘(B) does not itself, either directly or in 

14 conjunction with an affiliate, serve as a covered 

15 provider in the context of originating or termi16 nating a given call.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 629 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2566 

[Report No. 114–805] 

A BILL 

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to enof such communications. among areas of the United States in the delivery prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination sure the integrity of voice communications and to 

NOVEMBER 14, 2016 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS