On December 3, the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, a coalition of 52 state attorneys general (previously covered by InfoBytes here), announced it issued warning letters to four “major” voice service providers, alleging they transmitted millions of suspected illegal robocalls across their networks. According to the task force, these calls included campaigns impersonating government agencies as well as scams targeting consumers. The letters alleged violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Truth in Caller ID Act, each of which prohibits deceptive telemarketing, restrict automated calls, and ban caller ID spoofing intended to defraud or harm consumers, respectively.

The task force asserted that, despite repeated industry traceback notices and years of documented warnings, the providers continued to transmit high volumes of suspicious robocall traffic. The attorneys general requested that each provider respond within 35 days detailing how they intend to address these concerns, warning that continued alleged violations could result in enforcement actions seeking damages, civil penalties, injunctions, and removal from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database.