Carr Proposes Crackdown on Bad Actors’ Access to U.S. Phone Numbers

Upcoming Vote Marks Latest Step in the Commission’s Crusade Against Illegal Robocalls

Chairman Brendan Carr proposed the latest measures in the FCC’s crusade against illegal robocalls and effort to protect U.S. national security. Next month, the Commission will vote on new rules aimed at preventing bad actors from obtaining access to the telephone numbers that are necessary for them to launch illegal robocalling campaigns. If adopted by the Commission next month, these rules would require new national security-focused certifications and improved authorization processes before anyone can get access to phone numbers. The item will also seek comment on adopting additional safeguards. 

Chairman Carr issued the following statement:

“With this decision, the FCC will be strengthening our first line of defense against bad actors and illegal robocallers. We are going to enhance the vetting process that all providers must go through before they obtain access to telephone numbers. This will make it substantially more difficult for bad actors to operate in our networks. This step is part of our broader effort to look at every portion of the lifecycle of a call and make it more difficult for illegal robocalls to get through.”

Additional Background Information:

The Order shared with the FCC Commissioners today would modify the Commission’s VoIP numbering authorization rules to require new national security-focused certifications. These changes aim to protect numbering resources from entities identified on the Commission’s Covered List. The rules would also increase transparency and further streamline the review and management of the authorization process by the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau.

The item proposed today also includes a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which would seek comment on additional proposals to strengthen the FCC’s direct access rules with important robocalling and national security-focused certifications and disclosures, including measures to protect U.S. telecommunications networks against foreign adversaries and other cybersecurity and physical security risks. It also seeks comment on administrative proposals to clarify the Bureau’s application review and oversight authority, further increase transparency regarding the providers that apply for and receive direct access to numbers, and ensure that all VoIP numbering authorizations continue to serve the public interest.

Bad actors are known to obtain large quantities of numbers to avoid robocall mitigation measures to continue exploiting American consumers. To address this problem, the Commission has adopted a series of policy changes to modernize and safeguard the VoIP number authorization process. In March, the Commission proposed expanded certification and disclosure requirements to all providers that receive telephone numbering resources – directly or indirectly, and to increase visibility into what entities are doing with these finite resources – to stop scammers from exploiting gaps in the system. Also, last year, the FCC voted to apply its robocall, public safety, and national security compliance certification and disclosure requirements to all interconnected VoIP providers that directly access U.S. numbering resources.