Bipartisan state attorneys general target nuisance robocalls
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The attorneys general are demanding that voice service providers stop allowing illegal robocalls to be routed through telecom networks.
This story was originally published by the New Jersey Monitor.
Democratic and Republican attorneys general have launched a multistate effort to crack down on nuisance phone calls from automated recordings.
As part of Operation Robocall Roundup, the attorneys general are sending warning letters to 37 voice service providers, which transmit the calls, demanding they stop illegal robocalls from being routed through telecom networks. They also sent letters to nearly 100 downstream providers that accept call traffic from those other providers to inform them that they are doing business with bad actors.
“Who isn’t fed up with scam calls!? We all get them multiple times daily. Enough is enough,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said Thursday. “Our bipartisan coalition is cracking down on telecom companies enabling scammers to flood us with junk calls.”
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey in a statement said the warning letters are the first step in holding those businesses accountable to prevent would-be scammers from using state networks.
According to Fey’s office, the notified voice providers have not complied with Federal Communications Commission rules about responding to traceback requests nor have they registered in the robocall mitigation databases. The providers also have not filed a plan to reduce illegal robocalls on their network.
“By disregarding these simple rules, these companies are allowing robocallers onto their phone networks and then passing their calls on to other downstream providers until they reach the phones of Maine people,” the office said.
These efforts from the 51 attorneys general, including the District of Columbia, are part of the anti-robocall litigation task force that formed in 2022. The task force investigates and takes legal action against companies responsible for significant volumes of illegal and fraudulent robocalls across the country.
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