Attorney General Bonta Supports New Federal Regulations Cracking Down on Illegal Robocalls

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta this week joined a coalition of 49 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter supporting proposed rules by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would combat robocalls by enhancing existing "Know-Your-Customer" (KYC) obligations for originating voice service providers. The letter supports the FCC's proposals to establish specific, common-sense, baseline KYC standards to help prevent illegal calls from reaching the U.S. communications network.

"Everyone hates robocalls. They disrupt our lives and bombard us with never-ending voicemails. But these calls aren't just annoying. In many cases they are illegal and a vehicle for harmful scams that can result in real financial losses for consumers," said Attorney General Bonta. "I am proud to continue in this national, bipartisan effort to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls by supporting the FCC's proposed rules designed to ensure service providers know who they are providing service to."

The most effective way to prevent illegal calls is to prevent them from ever reaching the U.S. communications network. All illegal robocalling begins with an originating voice service provider's decision to allow a customer that is a bad actor to use their network to make those calls. Originating providers are the first line of defense to protect the integrity and safety of the U.S. communications network and are best positioned to know their customer's true identity and to understand their business. When originating providers know their customers' identities, it also helps law enforcement hold scammers accountable.

The FCC is proposing more rigorous KYC requirements for providers to protect the public, including requiring that providers collect specific identifying information for new and renewing customers, requiring that providers verify, retain, and re-verify customer information, and requiring additional information and monitoring regarding certain customers, such as high-volume or high-risk customers. In submitting the comment letter, the coalition expresses its support for the Commission's efforts to strengthen its mandate that originating providers take affirmative, effective measures when onboarding and retaining renewing customers, by engaging in meaningful KYC practices.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to enforcing consumer protections in the state of California and speaking out for consumer protections nationwide, including working to put a stop to illegal robocalls. As part of the effort to combat illegal robocall traffic, Attorney General Bonta has:

• Joined a comment letter to the FCC providing guidance on proposed rule changes to enhance and improve existing rules to restrict robocallers' access to phone numbers.
• Commenced Phase One and Phase Two of Operation Robocall, warning dozens of voice service providers about their part in facilitating illegal robocalls.
• Sent warning letters to four telecom companies for transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks - including robocalls that impersonated government officials or involved scams.
• Submitted a comment letter to the FCC in support of its proposed rules to protect consumers by increasing the effectiveness of the FCC's Robocall Mitigation Database.
• Sent a warning letter to a telecom company responsible for transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic, including robocalls that impersonated government officials.
• Sent a warning letter to a company that allegedly sent New Hampshire residents scam election robocalls during the New Hampshire primary election.
• Filed a comment letter to the FCC related to the potential impact of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology on efforts to protect consumers from illegal robocalls or robotexts.

Additionally, the California Department of Justice is involved in ongoing litigation against Avid Telecom for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of unlawful robocalls, including Social Security Administration scams, Medicare scams, and employment scams.

In submitting today's letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.