Intermediate Provider Registration Rules Effective May 15
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received Office of Management and Budget approval for its rural call completion rules requiring the registration of intermediate providers. The FCC’s registration requirement applies to “any intermediate provider that offers or holds itself out as offering the capability to transmit covered voice communications from one destination to another.”
Intermediate providers subject to the FCC’s rural call completion rules will have until May 15, 2019, to register through the FCC’s online portal. An intermediate provider is required to provide the following information when registering:
1) The intermediate provider's business name(s) and primary address;
2) The name(s), telephone number(s), email address(es), and business address(es) of the intermediate provider's regulatory contact and/or designated agent for service of process;
3) All business names that the intermediate provider has used in the past;
4) The state(s) in which the intermediate provider provides service;
5) The name, title, business address, telephone number, and email address of at least one person as well as the department within the company responsible for addressing rural call completion issues, and;
6) The name(s), business address, and business telephone number(s) for an executive leadership contact, such as the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, or owner(s) of the intermediate provider, or persons performing an equivalent function, who directs or manages the entity.
The registration requirement is part of the FCC’s efforts to implement the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017. A summary of the FCC's rural call completion rules, including additional information regarding the registration obligations of intermediate providers, is available here.
