Doug Peterson, Nebraska attorney general urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put in place measures that will help stem the tide of foreign-based illegal robocalls that attempt to scam Americans. The comment letter to the FCC was led by Josh Stein, North Carolina attorney general, Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania attorney general, and Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas attorney general.
“Robocalls are a major concern to Nebraskans. Scam calls can result in real financial losses and serious consumer frustration. Our office is committed to using every tool at its disposal, working closely with all available partners, to combat unlawful robocalls and spoofing,” said Peterson.
A bipartisan group of 51 attorneys general are calling for the FCC to require gateway providers – the companies that allow foreign calls into the United States – to take steps to reduce how easily robocalls have been able to enter the U.S. telephone network, including implementing STIR/SHAKEN, a caller ID authentication technology that helps prevent spoofed calls. Gateway providers should be required to implement this technology within 30 days of it becoming a rule to help eliminate spoofed calls and to make sure that international calls that originate from U.S. telephone numbers are legitimate.
The attorneys general are asking the FCC to require these gateway providers to take additional measures to reduce robocalls, including:
• Responding to requests from law enforcement, state attorneys general, or the FCC to trace back calls within 24 hours.
• Blocking calls when providers are aware of an illegal or likely fraudulent caller.
• Blocking calls that originate from numbers that are on a “do not originate” list – such as government phone numbers that are for incoming calls only.
• Ensuring that foreign telephone companies they partner with are ensuring that calls are being made from legitimate numbers.
The attorneys general are also encouraging the FCC to require all phone companies to block calls from a gateway provider if it fails to meet these requirements. Illegal robocalls are a scourge – in 2020, Americans lost more than $520 million through robocall scams.
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