Robocalls Access Gone: FCC Bars VoIP Providers to use US Phone Numbers

The FCC has now introduced a new way in its efforts to bar robocalls from accessing US phone numbers, as the way they are doing it is now gone as it makes it hard for VoIP providers. While robocallers and VoIP providers are not necessarily in the same league to enact their scheme, this has been the way they have done it to many Americans in the past times.

Its annoying campaign to bombard citizens with a multitude of robocalls is now seeing a stricter rule for one of its access points, hoping to curb this problem.

Robocalls Access Gone: FCC Makes it Hard for VoIP Providers

The US Federal Communications Commission is now introducing a new way to update its rules to curb robocallers' access to American phone numbers. In its release [PDF], the Commission introduced its new requirements for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to get direct access to telephone numbers and expanded more of its rules against robocalls.

It has been said that robocalls have gained access to phone numbers thanks to available VoIP software. "This VoIP technology can allow bad actors to make spoofed robocalls with minimal technical experience and cost," says the FCC.

The FCC's action centers on:

• Make robocall-related certifications to help ensure compliance with the Commission's rules targeting illegal robocalls;
• Disclose and keep current information about their ownership, including foreign ownership, to mitigate the risk of providing bad actors abroad with access to U.S. numbering resources;

FCC's Hurdles for VoIP Access to US Phone Number

Under the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, this will ask VoIP providers with additional steps, including disclosures and certifications, to comply with the rules.

The FCC released a public draft of the said order, with it taking place after 30 days after it was published.

FCC and its Campaign Against Robocalls

The fight against robocalls and their massive plague in the country is something that the FCC has focused on for a long time now, as from being annoying, it has been intrusive to people's privacy and security. There are ways to prevent these robocallers from enacting their schemes, with the FCC sharing tips on combatting and avoiding it.

Billions of robocalls are happening, and this plague has yet to see ways to curb it, as different fixes have centered on one part of the collective robocalling problem in the country. Still, the FCC is finding ways to combat it, with a previous imposition of fines against telemarketers that sold short-term insurance plans seeing a $225 million fee.

As said earlier, there are plenty of ways for robocallers to gain access to US phone numbers to enact their irritable campaign against the general public, with the FCC now introducing a way to bar them from doing so. It starts with giving VoIP providers a hard time in enacting the legitimate robocalls from the bad actors, soon to take effect after 30 days.