RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson is leading a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general asking federal regulators to strengthen the database used to identify voice providers and block illegal robocalls.
The coalition filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission concerning proposed changes to the Robocall Mitigation Database. The database contains filings from companies that originate, carry or terminate voice traffic and describes their efforts to prevent illegal calls.
In a Nov. 10 announcement, the North Carolina Department of Justice said the attorneys general want the FCC to verify that database filings are accurate and complete before providers are allowed to route calls. They also asked for additional disclosures about related companies, third-party filing services and access to telephone-number resources.
The coalition urged the FCC to make it harder for companies removed from the database to re-enter, require providers to certify compliance with federal robocall rules and respond to traceback requests, and make historical filings from removed providers available to law enforcement and the public.
The filing also supports procedures for suspending or removing noncompliant providers and would require companies subject to removal, suspension or blocking orders to notify customers and other providers. Those recommendations are requests to the FCC, not rules already in effect.
The FCC opened the proceeding in July and published its proposed rule in the Federal Register on Sept. 9. The agency said it was considering stronger screening of new filers, faster removal of noncompliant providers and safeguards against unauthorized re-entry. Reply comments were due Nov. 9.
Jackson’s office said he leads the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force. The current filing lists North Carolina among six lead states and includes attorneys general from both parties, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories.
The FCC will decide whether to adopt the proposed changes after reviewing the record. The coalition’s filing gives North Carolina a lead role in that federal rulemaking, but it does not itself change the obligations of telephone providers.
Sources
- North Carolina Department of Justice: Nov. 10 coalition announcement
- Federal Register: FCC proposed rule on the Robocall Mitigation Database
Photo Credit: Ser Amantio di Nicolao via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Contextual file photograph of the FCC’s former headquarters at 445 12th Street SW in Washington, D.C., taken Feb. 15, 2009; center-cropped and resized. License.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.