FCC Pushes 8 Voice Providers on Traceback Efforts to Combat Illegal Robocalling, Spoofing

“It is vital that public and private stakeholders work together to combat scam calls,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold. “It hinders both FCC enforcement and industry call authentication work when companies do not cooperate with traceback efforts." Chief Technology Officer Eric Burger added that "industry is helping combat illegal robocalls and spoofing, but more must be done.”

The two sent traceback letters to 382 Communications, Global Voicecom, IP Link Telecom, R Squared Telecom, Sonic Systems, Thinq, TouchTone Communications and XCast Labs. "A critical component of effective enforcement against robocalling and spoofing abuses is to quickly identify the source of the traffic by tracing back the calls to their origination," they wrote. They urged the providers "to cooperate with the USTelecom Industry Traceback Group's program aimed at identifying the source of illegal robocalls and harmful spoofed calls." They encouraged IP Link, R Squared, Sonic and XCast "to take measures to prevent the flow of illegal traffic" and asked them more detailed questions. The eight providers didn’t comment to us or couldn’t be reached. The FCC asked them to respond by Nov. 20, the day after Pai asked the major providers to respond to his letters.

Traceback investigation time periods have "shrunk from months to weeks" since USTelecom's industry group launched two years ago, Harold and Burger wrote the association. "The information from USTelecom or its member organizations about illegal spoofing and robocall surges has resulted in dozens of active investigations." Recent referrals from the traceback group provided a "chain reaching only one 'hop' back from the originating carrier responsible for the harmful traffic -- a significant improvement over the Bureau's initial traceback attempts, which might have required 10 or more individual subpoenas." USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter called the traceback group's actions "one of the most effective ways to enhance the critical enforcement efforts of the FCC, FTC and other law enforcement agencies."

Auto interests backed IHS Market's petition for a declaratory ruling to clarify that calls and texts on recalls should be exempt from the TCPA wireless calling restrictions under a public-safety exception when made for emergency purposes. It would "help improve motor vehicle safety by clarifying that the TCPA does not prohibit auto industry stakeholders from reaching out to consumers via phone and text to inform them of vehicle safety recalls, even where consumers have not provided prior express consent," commented the Association of Global Automakers and Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, posted Tuesday in docket 02-278. The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (here) and Experian Automotive (here) also filed in support.

IHS Markit was backed by Patrick Juneau, noting Judge Federico Moreno of the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida appointed him special administrator of settlement agreements in litigation over Takata's airbag recall. In the U.S., "this recall has involved 19 different vehicle manufacturers, with nearly 50 million defective Takata inflators in an estimated 34 million vehicles manufactured over a 15-year period," Juneau commented. He said settlement agreements funding outreach referenced "telephone and text messaging to try to reach individuals to help them schedule Takata inflator" repairs. Without "guidance from the FCC, parties could be exposed to unwarranted" TCPA class litigation, he said. Joe Shields of Friendswood, Texas opposed the petition, arguing there's no emergency.