The bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, spearheaded by Attorney General Jackson, has put Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Lumen, and Peerless on notice, demanding they immediately cease transmitting suspected illegal robocalls across their vast networks.
Escalation: Targeting the "Largest Footprints"
This action marks a significant shift from the initial phase of the operation, which focused on 37 smaller voice providers. In the press release issued on December 3, Attorney General Jackson made it clear that Phase 2 is about holding the larger players accountable.
“Phase 2 of Robocall Roundup is about the larger companies that are knowingly pushing through millions of scam robocalls,” Attorney General Jackson stated. He issued a firm ultimatum: “We’re giving them thirty days to clean this up. If they don’t, we’re prepared to use every tool we have. The scale of this abuse is outrageous and we’re not going to tolerate it.”
The Data Behind the Demand
The decision to target these four companies is supported by what the Attorney General describes as a "staggering volume" of illegal traffic. The providers are reportedly continuing to transmit hundreds of thousands—and in some cases, millions—of suspected illegal robocalls.
Key data columns highlight the scale of the problem:
Traceback Notices: This column reflects the sheer volume of official alerts each company has received since 2019, indicating they transmitted a call tied to a suspected illegal campaign.
Major Scams: The data also reveals the specific types of fraudulent calls—such as fake Amazon, Apple, Social Security, or IRS calls—that flowed through these networks.
The press release emphasizes that as larger providers, these companies have a "heightened responsibility" to block traffic from known bad actors. Despite receiving extensive industry traceback notices and years of warnings, they have allegedly failed to meet the required standards.
Phase 1 Success Sets the Precedent
The aggressive action follows the measurable success of Phase 1, demonstrating that the Task Force's enforcement strategy works:
13 companies were removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, effectively blocking them from the U.S. network.
19 companies completely disappeared from traceback results, indicating a halt to their suspected illegal routing.
At least four providers terminated high-risk customer accounts that were identified as transmitting illegal traffic.
“These changes demonstrate that enforcement works,” said Attorney General Jackson. “But to protect the public, the largest carriers must meet the highest standards.”
The Task Force
The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force was established in 2022 when 51 attorneys general joined forces to combat this widespread issue. The Task Force is led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, alongside Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Their mandate is to investigate and take legal action against companies responsible for significant volumes of illegal and fraudulent robocall traffic across the United States.
Would you like to know more about the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force or the penalties these telecom giants might face? That's a great question. The Task Force has a strong legal foundation and the targeted companies face significant penalties under both federal and state law if they do not comply with the demand to stop transmitting illegal robocalls.
⚖️ Potential Legal Consequences and Penalties
The core issue is that originating and transmitting illegal robocalls violates multiple consumer protection statutes. State Attorneys General, through the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, have the authority to bring enforcement actions under several key laws:
Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR): State Attorneys General have concurrent authority with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to sue for violations of the TSR to obtain damages, restitution, or other compensation for their citizens. The FTC can seek civil penalties for TSR violations, with each illegal call subject to a maximum civil penalty that can exceed $50,000.
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA): State Attorneys General are authorized to bring enforcement actions to enjoin (stop) future violative calls and recover substantial civil penalties for each violation of the TCPA.
Truth in Caller ID Act: This law prohibits knowingly transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller identification information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. Violations can lead to civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation or three times that amount for each day of continuing violations.
These penalties are often cumulative, meaning a single illegal robocall campaign could trigger massive fines under multiple statutes. The Task Force's warning letters essentially provide the companies with a 30-day window to clean up their act before legal proceedings for these penalties commence.
🛑 Consequences for Non-Compliance
Beyond significant financial fines, the Task Force and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can impose serious operational consequences:
Blocking Traffic: If a provider is removed from the FCC's Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD), no other provider in the United States is permitted to accept their call traffic. As seen in Phase 1, this is a highly effective tactic that essentially cuts off a non-compliant provider from the U.S. telephone network.
Injunctions and Orders: The Task Force can pursue court orders, such as permanent injunctions, that would bar the defendants from conveying telephone calls into the U.S. telephone system.
Attorney General Jackson's statement, "If they don’t [clean this up], we’re prepared to use every tool we have," strongly suggests the use of these enforcement mechanisms, which have proven highly effective in Phase 1's results against the 37 smaller companies.
WNCTimes