FCC Takes Aim at Illegal Robocalls with New Blocking Rules

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules to further protect consumers from the scourge of illegal robocalls. The Report and Order builds upon existing efforts to combat scam calls by expanding the use of "do-not-originate" lists and improving the notification process for blocked callers.

Expanding "do-not-originate" lists to block suspicious calls

One of the key components of the new rules is broadening the use of "do-not-originate" lists. These lists identify phone numbers that should never be making outbound calls, such as government phone numbers or unused/invalid numbers. By requiring all voice service providers to block calls that appear to originate from numbers on these lists, the FCC aims to stop more scam calls before they even reach consumers. This approach is designed to target calls that are highly likely to be illegal.

Improved notifications for blocked callers

The FCC also recognizes the importance of ensuring that legitimate callers aren't unfairly caught in the robocall blocking net. To address this, the Commission has designated Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Code 603+ as the exclusive code to notify callers on IP networks when their calls are blocked due to reasonable analytics. This standardized code will replace the multiple codes currently in use, providing greater clarity to callers about why their call was blocked and allowing them to take steps to correct any erroneous blocking.

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