FCC Announces New State Partners in Fight Against Robocalls

Regulatory agency adds five states, now 27 are partners in robocall investigation team

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the addition of five new states as part of a group dedicated to investigating illegal robocalls and enforcing federal laws prohibiting abuse.

The addition demonstrates growing pressure to stop abusive calls and enforce the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

“It shows that we are united when it comes to fighting robocalls—urban, rural, north, south, east, and west,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Today I invite every state and U.S. territory to join this effort and establish information sharing and cooperation structures with the FCC so we can work together to investigate and put an end to spoofing and robocall scam campaigns.”

The FCC's announcement said Alaska, California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Washington state are joining the roll of partners working together to combat robocall scams. The FCC also built upon an exist MOU with robocall investigators in Ohio. During investigations, both the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and state investigators seek records, talk to witnesses, interview targets, examine consumer complaints, and take other critical steps to build a record against possible bad actors. These partnerships can provide critical resources for building cases and preventing duplicative efforts in protecting consumers and businesses nationwide.

While a majority (27) states are now partners with the FCC in the battle against robocalls, Chair Rosenworcel said she is reaching out to the remaining Attorneys General in order to get more states on board. Rosenworcel indicated she wants a united front as the FCC seeks to take action to protection consumers.

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