Not Receiving Some Incoming Long Distance Calls? It’s a Nationwide Problem.

Are you frustrated that you are not receiving some incoming long distance calls? You are not alone. It’s a nationwide problem that is affecting customers in at least 38 states. The cause of the problem is how long distance calls are routed and it is not an issue Paul Bunyan Communications or other local phone service providers can resolve immediately. Simply put, a call cannot be completed that does not get to the local phone provider’s network.

Consumers have reported problems of the calling party hearing ringing while they hear nothing. It has also been reported that a calling party hears ringing but it goes to dead air once the intended receiver answers the phone. Some other reported problems include:

• Unusually long call set up times, sometimes as long as 50 seconds
• Garbled, one way or otherwise poor quality voice on completed calls
• Inability to receive faxes
• Missing or altered Caller ID information.

The problems can occur on calls originating from a variety of telephone technologies including land-line, wireless, cable, and Voice over Internet Protocol services (VoIP).

Ultimately, the long distance carrier of the calling customer is responsible for delivering the call to the local phone provider. Until that call is delivered, there is nothing your local phone service provider can do with the call.

Even though Paul Bunyan Communications has no control over calls that are not delivered or delivered incorrectly, we understand the level of frustration that our customers are experiencing over this problem. Our cooperative is working with several telecommunication trade associations to address this issue with the problem companies and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). We have invested significant time and resources to advocate on behalf of our customers to have those responsible for the problem correct it.

Here is what you can do to help us in these efforts: