Consumer Protection

Protecting consumers is central to the FCC's Build America Agenda. And given that we are in the midst of National Consumer Protection Week, we thought the March meeting would be a particularly opportune time to advance several items designed to benefit you, the consumer. That is why we will be voting this month to improve the customer experience at call centers, accelerate the upgrade to modern network infrastructure, and further crack down on illegal robocalls. It will be another packed agenda.

First up, we'll vote on a proposal to improve the customer service at call centers by encouraging onshoring and strengthening accountability. Today, nearly 70 percent of U.S. businesses outsource at least one department, including customer service and call center operations to locations abroad. As a result, too many Americans have struggled to resolve an issue with a representative due to cultural and language barriers. Overseas customer service centers also raise concerns about protecting consumers' personal information. Foreign call centers have also contributed to the rampant influx of overseas scam calls, training staff that later use those skills to defraud consumers. Our proposal would require disclosure when calls are routed overseas, give consumers the option to switch to a U.S.-based representative, and add stronger safeguards for personal data-all while improving service and creating new economic opportunities here at home. To further discourage illegal robocalls from abroad, the item also seeks comment on the use of targeted tariffs or bonds.

Next up is another item aimed at combatting robocalls. To deliver real change and protection for consumers, we have to attack robocalls at every stage of the call path. This next proposal focuses on stopping bad actors before the call even originates by tightening how phone numbers are obtained and used. We're proposing to expand certification and disclosure requirements to all providers that receive numbering resources-beyond direct access-making it harder for scammers to exploit gaps in the system and strengthening our robocall enforcement.

We're also keeping our focus on modernizing networks and paving the way for new technologies that are essential to delivering better connectivity for consumers. We will vote on an order that builds on our prior efforts to streamline copper retirement and reduceoutdated regulatory burdens that force providers to maintain aging networks instead of investing in modern, high-speed ones. By streamlining legacy requirements, the FCC can help free up billions of dollars that can go into building all-IP networks that deliver faster, more reliable service nationwide.

As we work to strengthen America's leadership in space, we must ensure cutting-edge orbital operations-such as orbital laboratories, satellite repairs, and private inhabitable spacecraft-have reliable access to spectrum. So the Commission will vote on a proposal to bring greater spectrum abundance to emergent space missions that are not communications satellites but nonetheless use spectrum for telemetry, tracking, control, and other safety purposes.They face a shortage of reliable spectrum that limits their ability to grow. This proposal seeks comment on ways to expand access, modernize our rules, and give America's space activities the predictable spectrum environment they need to thrive.

Alongside our work to improve the lives of consumers, it's essential that the Commission remain a responsible steward of public funds paid for by the American people. So we will also be voting on an order that adopts new tools to strengthen oversight of critical communications programs like the Universal Service Fund and Telecommunications Relay Services, including by improving our rules on suspension and debarment. By updating our processes, aligning with government-wide best practices, and enabling quicker action against misconduct, we will better protect these programs from abuse and ensure limited resources are used responsibly.

We're also continuing our Delete, Delete, Delete initiative to eliminate outdated rules, cut red tape, and promote modernization. This month, we are voting on an order that will update broadcast regulations. The revised rules remove outdated procedures and codify current Media Bureau practices so licensing is clearer and more efficient. For example, the order eliminates unnecessary requirements for routine AM station facility modification applications, codifies the existing interpretation of the term "authorized" stations to include both licensed stations and granted construction permits, and consolidates the rules for petitions to deny license renewal applications under a single rule section.

Finally, we are voting on our seventh Direct Final Rule, which continues the Delete agenda by rescinding obsolete provisions relating to the FCC's Office of Economics and Analytics and the agency's Office of International Affairs, cutting unnecessary regulatory burdens so licensees can move faster and focus on modern network deployment.

We're moving forward with an agenda that puts American consumers first-improving service, protecting public dollars, and modernizing the rules that stand in the way of progress.