Attorneys general from New York and Connecticut, led by Letitia James and William Tong, are calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen federal enforcement against illegal robocalls. In a formal petition filed in October 2024, the coalition urged the federal government to close regulatory loopholes that allow telecommunications providers to facilitate scam traffic, arguing that current state-level efforts are insufficient to combat the scale of automated fraud.
The Push for Stricter Federal Oversight
The coalition of attorneys general, which includes representatives from 47 states and the District of Columbia, argues that the FCC must mandate that all service providers implement more rigorous “know-your-customer” protocols. According to the New York Attorney General’s Office, current rules allow some providers to ignore red flags when suspicious traffic originates on their networks. The states contend that by forcing gateway providers—the companies that bring international calls into the U.S. network—to take responsibility for the traffic they carry, the FCC could effectively shut down the primary pipelines used by scammers.
Comparing State and Federal Enforcement
State-level enforcement has historically been hampered by jurisdictional limits, as many robocall operations originate overseas or across state lines. While the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General has participated in numerous multi-state lawsuits against telecommunications firms, these actions often take years to resolve. The petition suggests that federal rulemaking would provide a uniform standard, preventing “jurisdiction shopping” where scammers move their operations to states with weaker oversight.
| Action | Current Status | Proposed Change |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway Provider Liability | Limited federal oversight | Mandatory “know-your-customer” checks |
| Call Blocking | Voluntary provider participation | Standardized, mandatory blocking protocols |
Why Current Regulations Are Under Pressure
The rise of artificial intelligence has made it easier for bad actors to generate convincing, personalized scam calls at a massive scale. According to data tracked by the FCC, these automated calls remain a top consumer complaint. By targeting the service providers themselves, the attorneys general aim to increase the cost of doing business for companies that ignore illegal traffic. The petition specifically requests that the FCC adopt rules that would hold these providers accountable for failing to block calls that match known scam patterns or originate from unverified sources.
Next Steps for the FCC
The petition is currently under review by the FCC. The agency has previously implemented the STIR/SHAKEN framework, which requires providers to authenticate caller IDs. However, the bipartisan coalition argues that authentication is only a partial solution, as scammers frequently bypass these systems using sophisticated spoofing technology. Future federal action will likely focus on whether to expand the liability of intermediate carriers, a move that the telecommunications industry has historically resisted due to the technical complexity of monitoring high volumes of network traffic.
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