Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The Federal Communications Commission will vote in May on a plan by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel meant to help stem the flow of overseas robocalls into the U.S., the agency said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Americans are inundated with spam, and federal agencies are struggling to combat illegal messages.
Driving the news: The rules, if adopted by the commission at its May 19 meeting, would require gateway providers — which carry international calls to American networks — to participate in robocall mitigation efforts.
- That means the providers would have to aid in blocking efforts and take responsibility for illegal robocall campaigns that use their networks, the FCC said.
- If they fail to comply with the rules, the providers could be blocked by other network participants, which the FCC says would make them unable to operate.
What they're saying: “International robocallers use these gateways to enter our phone networks and defraud American consumers," Rosenworcel said in a statement. "But no more. We won’t allow them to bypass our laws and hide from enforcement.”