Attorney General Josh Stein has spearheaded a bipartisan initiative, involving 46 other state Attorneys General, urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enhance its Robocall Mitigation Database. The aim is to address what is seen as an unmonitored loophole that allows bad actors access to the U.S. telephone network.
“I share North Carolinians’ frustrations over receiving robocalls and robotexts,” stated Attorney General Josh Stein. “I am proud to be leading this bipartisan group of Attorneys General so that providers with bad intentions can be stopped before they try to bombard people with illegal robocalls.”
Attorneys general have been actively engaged in efforts to reduce illegal robocalls affecting Americans. Despite these efforts, scammers continue to find ways to inundate individuals with unwanted calls and texts. The Consumer Protection Division received 3,281 complaints about robocalls last year, making it the top complaint received by the division. In October, Americans reported more than 4.9 billion robocalls, averaging 15 calls per person daily.
The FCC requires providers to register on its database to operate as voice service providers in the U.S. However, since its inception in 2021, the database has not effectively prevented illegitimate registrations used for sending illegal robocalls through the network. Companies have submitted unchecked information without facing significant consequences for inaccuracies or misleading submissions.
The coalition of Attorneys General is urging the FCC to reinforce the database by clarifying submission requirements for providers, implementing deadlines for data submission, validating submitted data for accuracy, penalizing false or inadequate submissions by denying operational authorization, and blocking non-compliant providers. These proposed changes aim to restrict bad actors' access to the U.S. telephone network and reduce illegal robocalls reaching American consumers.
Attorney General Stein serves as co-chair of the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force and remains dedicated to investigating and enforcing actions against entities responsible for substantial volumes of illegal robocall traffic nationwide.
Joining Attorney General Stein in this initiative are Attorneys General from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
A copy of their letter is available online.