II 

Calendar No. 687 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 827 

[Report No. 114–383] 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 19, 2015 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. TESTER, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. 

KING, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. ERNST, Mr. 

LEAHY, and Mr. THUNE) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

NOVEMBER 28, 2016 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

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

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. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Quality and Reliability Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMUNICA5 TIONS. 

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

7 (47 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 262. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMU10 NICATIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) REGISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE BY INTER12 MEDIATE PROVIDERS.—An intermediate provider that of13 fers or holds itself out as offering the capability to trans14 mit covered voice communications from one destination to 

15 another and that charges any rate to any other entity (in16 cluding an affiliated entity) for the transmission shall— 

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

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

19 for such transmission to be established by the Com20 mission under subsection (c)(1)(B). 

21 ‘‘(b) REQUIRED USE OF REGISTERED INTER22 MEDIATE PROVIDERS.—A covered provider may not use 

23 an intermediate provider to transmit covered voice com24 munications unless such intermediate provider is reg25 istered under subsection (a)(1). 

26 ‘‘(c) COMMISSION RULES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this section, the 

3 Commission shall promulgate rules to establish— 

4 ‘‘(A) a registry to record registrations 

5 under subsection (a)(1); and 

6 ‘‘(B) service quality standards for the 

7 transmission of covered voice communications 

8 by intermediate providers. 

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

10 rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission 

11 shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) ensure the integrity of the trans13 mission of covered voice communications to all 

14 customers in the United States; and 

15 ‘‘(B) prevent unjust or unreasonable dis16 crimination among areas of the United States 

17 in the delivery of covered voice communications. 

18 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF REGISTRY.—The 

19 Commission shall make the registry established under sub20 section (c)(1)(A) publicly available on the website of the 

21 Commission. 

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

23 this section shall apply regardless of the format by which 

24 any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 

25 format by which the transmission of such communication 


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1 or service is achieved, or the regulatory classification of 

2 such communication or service. 

3 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec4 tion shall be construed to affect the regulatory classifica5 tion of any communication or service. 

6 ‘‘(g) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this sec7 tion shall be construed to preempt the authority of a State 

8 public utility commission or other relevant State agency 

9 to collect data, or investigate and enforce State law and 

10 regulations, regarding the completion of intrastate voice 

11 communications, regardless of the format by which any 

12 communication or service is provided, the protocol or for13 mat by which the transmission of such communication or 

14 service is achieved, or the regulatory classification of such 

15 communication or service. 

16 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

18 provider’ has the meaning given the term in section 

19 64.2101 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 

20 any successor thereto. 

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

22 term ‘covered voice communication’ means a voice 

23 communication (including any related signaling in24 formation) that is generated— 


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

2 connection using a North American Numbering 

3 Plan resource or a call placed to a connection 

4 using such a numbering resource; and 

5 ‘‘(B) through any service provided by a 

6 covered provider. 

7 ‘‘(3) INTERMEDIATE PROVIDER.—The term ‘in8 termediate provider’ means any entity that— 

9 ‘‘(A) carries or processes traffic that is 

10 generated from the placement of a call from a 

11 connection using a North American Numbering 

12 Plan resource or a call placed to a connection 

13 using such a numbering resource; and 

14 ‘‘(B) does not itself originate or terminate 

15 such traffic in the context of the carriage or 

16 processing.’’. 

17 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

19 Quality and Reliability Act of 2016’’. 

20 SEC. 2. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMUNICA21 TIONS. 

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

23 (47 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

24 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 262. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMU2 NICATIONS. 

3 ‘‘(a) REGISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE BY INTER4 MEDIATE PROVIDERS.—An intermediate provider that of5 fers or holds itself out as offering the capability to transmit 

6 covered voice communications from one destination to an7 other and that charges any rate to any other entity (includ8 ing an affiliated entity) for the transmission shall— 

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

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

11 for such transmission to be established by the Com12 mission under subsection (c)(1)(B). 

13 ‘‘(b) REQUIRED USE OF REGISTERED INTERMEDIATE

14 PROVIDERS.—A covered provider may not use an inter15 mediate provider to transmit covered voice communications 

16 unless such intermediate provider is registered under sub17 section (a)(1). 

18 ‘‘(c) COMMISSION RULES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

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

21 after the date of enactment of this section, the 

22 Commission shall promulgate rules to establish a 

23 registry to record registrations under subsection 

24 (a)(1). 

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

26 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 


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1 this section, the Commission shall promulgate 

2 rules to establish service quality standards for 

3 the transmission of covered voice communica4 tions by intermediate providers. 

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

6 rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) ensure the integrity of the trans9 mission of covered voice communications to all 

10 customers in the United States; and 

11 ‘‘(B) prevent unjust or unreasonable dis12 crimination among areas of the United States in 

13 the delivery of covered voice communications. 

14 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF REGISTRY.—The Com15 mission shall make the registry established under subsection 

16 (c)(1)(A) publicly available on the website of the Commis17 sion. 

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

19 this section shall apply 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. 


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1 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec2 tion shall be construed to affect the regulatory classification 

3 of any communication or service. 

4 ‘‘(g) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this sec5 tion shall be construed to preempt or expand the authority 

6 of a State public utility commission or other relevant State 

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

8 and regulations, regarding the completion of intrastate 

9 voice communications, regardless of the format by which 

10 any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 

11 format by which the transmission of such communication 

12 or service is achieved, or the regulatory classification of 

13 such communication or service. 

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

15 (a)(2) to comply with the service quality standards estab16 lished under subsection (c)(1)(B) shall not apply to a cov17 ered provider that— 

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

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

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

21 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor reg22 ulation; and 

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

24 such section 64.2107(a). 

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


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

2 provider’ has the meaning given the term in section 

3 64.2101 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 

4 any successor thereto. 

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

6 term ‘covered voice communication’ means a voice 

7 communication (including any related signaling in8 formation) that is generated— 

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

10 connection using a North American Numbering 

11 Plan resource or a call placed to a connection 

12 using such a numbering resource; and 

13 ‘‘(B) through any service provided by a cov14 ered provider. 

15 ‘‘(3) INTERMEDIATE PROVIDER.—The term ‘in16 termediate provider’ means any entity that— 

17 ‘‘(A) enters into a business arrangement 

18 with a covered provider or other intermediate 

19 provider for the specific purpose of carrying, 

20 routing, or transmitting voice traffic that is gen21 erated from the placement of a call placed— 

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

23 a North American Numbering Plan re24 source; or 


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

2 such a numbering resource; and 

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

4 conjunction with an affiliate, serve as a covered 

5 provider in the context of originating or termi6 nating a given call.’’. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 687 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 827 

[Report No. 114–383] 

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 28, 2016 

Reported with an amendment 


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