FCC Adopts Call-Blocking Safe Harbors in Robocall Battle

摘要

The FCC has unanimously approved an order establishing two safe harbors for call-blocking efforts aimed at stemming the deluge of unwanted and illegal robo-calls: one safe harbor protects voice service providers from liability when blocking such calls based on analytics, and the other protects them when they block traffic from other providers that have failed to take action when notified they are passing illegal or unwanted calls. In the third report and order, order on reconsideration, and fourth further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPRM) adopted in Consumer and Governmental Affairs docket 17-59 at the Commission's July 16 meeting, held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCC was acting in response to provisions of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which was signed into law in December.