[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 7, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 26572-26573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10687]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 64

[WC Docket No. 13-39; DA 13-780]


Rural Call Completion and List of Rural Operating Carrier Numbers

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission's 
Wireline Competition Bureau announces the comment filing deadlines in 
its proposed rulemaking proceeding on rural call completion problems 
and seeks comment on the completeness and suitability of a currently 
available list of rural Operating Carrier Numbers as a template for the 
reporting requirements proposed in the Rural Call Completion Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking.

DATES: Comments are due on or before May 13, 2013 and reply comments 
are due on or before May 28, 2013. If you anticipate that you will be 
submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period 
of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed 
below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WC Docket No. 13-39, 
by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Federal Communications Commission's Web site: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. Follow the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request 
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) by email: [email protected] or phone: (202) 418-
0530 or TTY: (202) 418-0432.

For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Rowings, Wireline Competition 
Bureau, (202) 418-1033 or TTY: (202) 418-0484.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's 
Public Notice in WC Docket No. 13-39, DA 13-780, released April 18, 
2013. The complete text of this document is available for inspection 
and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference 
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. These documents may also be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. 
(BCPI), 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, 
telephone (800) 378-3160 or (202) 863-2893, facsimile (202) 863-2898, 
or via the Internet at http://www.bcpiweb.com. It is also available on 
the Commission's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov.
    This document does not contain proposed information collection(s) 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-
13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any new or modified 
information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer 
than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act 
of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).

Synopsis

    On February 7, 2013, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on steps the Commission should take 
to help address problems in the completion of long-distance telephone 
calls to rural customers.
    The Commission set the comment and reply comment deadlines for the 
NPRM as 30 and 45 days, respectively, after publication of the summary 
of the NPRM in the Federal Register. On April 12, 2013, a summary of 
the NPRM appeared in the Federal Register. Accordingly, interested 
parties may file comments on or before May 13, 2013, and reply comments 
on or before May 28, 2013. All pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 
13-39.
    In the NPRM, the Commission proposed rules that would require that 
originating long-distance providers submit in electronic form the 
monthly call answer rate for rural operating carrier numbers (OCNs) 
with 100 attempts or more and the nonrural monthly overall average to 
the Commission once per calendar quarter. The Commission would specify 
an electronic template for this reporting requirement with a list of 
rural OCNs. The National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc. (NECA) 
provides a list of rural OCNs on its Web site, at the following link: 
http://www.neca.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=8874&libID=8894. The Bureau 
invites comment on the completeness of NECA's list, and whether it 
would be suitable for the Commission to use this list upon the adoption 
of the rules proposed in the NPRM.
    Pursuant to Sec. Sec.  1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 
interested parties

[[Page 26573]]

may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated 
on the first page of this document. Comments may be filed using the 
Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic 
Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/.
     Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket 
or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers 
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, 
by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. 
Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's 
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
     All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings 
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 
445 12th St. SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours 
are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together 
with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be 
disposed of before entering the building.
     Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton 
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
     U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority 
mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554.
    People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-
418-0432 (tty).
    This matter shall be treated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' 
proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules, 47 CFR 
1.1200 through 1.1216. Persons making ex parte presentations must file 
a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral 
presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a 
different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons 
making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda 
summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or 
otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte 
presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and 
arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted 
in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already 
reflected in the presenter's written comments, memoranda or other 
filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such 
data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other 
filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where 
such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the 
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex 
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must 
be filed consistent with Sec.  1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by 
Sec.  1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method 
of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda 
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, 
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available 
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., 
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding 
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.


Federal Communications Commission.

William Dever,
Chief, Competition Policy Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-10687 Filed 5-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P