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 </figure>FCCWASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission this week announced it has now sent cease-and-desist letters to more than a dozen voice service providers suspected of facilitating illegal robocall traffic. These admonishments are getting results, with all the providers quickly responding and committing to take actions to stop the flow of robocalls on their networks. Meanwhile, the FCC and its partners remain vigilant in monitoring these – and all – providers’ efforts and laying the groundwork to take serious action should mitigation not be implemented and maintained.“Our message to anyone helping illegal robocalls remains simple and consistent: stop it now or face serious consequences,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Providers must meet their consumer protection obligations. If they do not, we are ready to take swift and meaningful action against bad actors.”To date, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has sent 15 cease-and-desist letters. When appropriate, voice service providers that not only carry robocall traffic but appear to play a role in originating that traffic also face potential removal from the Robocall Mitigation Database. If removed, a provider risks having all of their traffic blocked by downstream voice service providers. The latest letters were sent recently to Great Choice Telecom and to TCA Voip.Recipients of cease-and-desist letters were ordered to take steps to effectively mitigate illegal traffic within 48 hours. They were also asked to inform the Commission and the Traceback Consortium within 14 days of the steps taken to implement effective measures to prevent robocallers from using the providers’ networks to make illegal calls.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

FCC: Phone companies sent cease-and-desist letters to stop illegal robocalls