On December 23, 2020, the Enforcement, Consumer and Governmental Affairs, and Wireline Competition Bureaus submitted their Annual Report to Congress on the Robocalls and Transmission of Misleading Caller Identification Information, as required by the TRACED Act. The Report summarizes the consumer complaints received by the FCC and acts taken by the FCC in relation to illegal robocalls and misleading caller ID information.
In all, from January 1, 2015 to November 30, 2020, the FCC received 368,584 informal complaints alleging violations of section 227(b), 644,495 informal complaints alleging violations of 227(c), 280,769 informal complaints alleging violations of 227(d), and 213,818 informal complaints alleging a violation of section 227(e). In 2019, the FCC issued two citations to enforce section 227(d). In 2019 and 2020, the FCC issued three Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and two Forfeiture Orders for violations of section 227(b)-(e).
Additionally, the FCC took several steps to reduce the number of unlawful calls, including proposals to facilitate consumer-driven call blocking, combat illegal spoofing, and stop specific scams. The FCC has also determined that a large number of unlawful calls are originating from VoIP providers, particularly non-interconnected VoIP providers, due to the ability to make inexpensive, high volume, short term calls. The FCC has taken steps to reduce the number of illegal calls originating from VoIP providers by initiating several proceedings or incorporating VoIP concerns into proceedings and is working with the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to address this issue.
Finally, the FCC reports that The Enforcement Bureau has been working with the Department of Justice to combat illegal robocalls spreading false information, coordinated with several state Attorneys General to enforce Notices of Apparent Liability, and implemented private-led traceback efforts to determine the origins of illegal robocalls.
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