Summary
- FCC sends show cause notice to over 2,000 VOIP providers lacking robocall mitigation plans.
- If not compliant, operators risk removal from network services.
- New FCC rules aim to strengthen regulations against spam calls, with support from AGs.
For most people who don’t have a great Android phone like a Pixel with Call Screening and other protections in place, bothersome spam calls are commonplace. However, blocking the spammer’s phone numbers isn’t usually of much help because they usually call back using a different number. This behavior is achieved through Voice over IP (VOIP), but recent FCC action could mean the end of your woes.
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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees cellular networks, carriers, and other critical infrastructure that keeps your phone ticking. It has complete control of conventional phonecalls, but in a recent press release, it issued a show cause notice to 2,411 VOIP service providers threatening to shut them down (via PCWorld).
The FCC says these operators haven’t filed in the Robocall Mitigation Database and must now explain why they should not be removed from service. A robocall mitigation plan is one of the legal requirements for these companies to operate, and these 2,000+ entities have failed to produce the plan on multiple occasions such as compliance checks. Once removed from service, all other network providers will not be allowed to accept call traffic from the removed provider.
As such, this notice is a direct statement calling out these businesses for shadily allowing spam calling operations to fester through their VOIP services.
This may not be the end of spam calling
But it is a necessary step to rein in the menace
“Providers must be active partners in the fight against unwanted and illegal robocalls. If they are not, they should not be allowed to participate in our phone networks. Full stop.”
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel
The announcement of this notice to shady VOIP operators also discusses new rules the FCC Chairwoman has drafted to strengthen the Commission’s database rules. 47 Attorneys General have expressed support for these changes. Meanwhile, the notices served this week were executed with support from 51 attorneys general, by the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force.
While that sounds fine, the chances of this making an immediate impact on the frequency of scam calls you receive is rather slim, especially with the President-elect set to swear in as the government changes soon. However, one can hope of a spam-free future the FCC envisions.
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