FCC LOOKS TO CUT OFF INSURANCE-RELATED ROBOCALL CAMPAIGN

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on June 7, 2023:

The FCC's Robocall Response Team today ordered that Avid Telecom cease and desist its transmission of apparently illegal robocalls related to health insurance that have targeted American consumers. The FCC and its partners believe these robocalls were made without consumer consent. This investigation builds off of the work of state Attorneys General who recently filed a lawsuit against Avid Telecom.

To the extent Avid Telecom argued that its calls were legal, it pointed to opt-in websites that did not provide requisite disclosures to legitimately obtain consumer consent. The FCC has been very clear that callers must have clear and conspicuous consent from consumers.

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FCC Leadership:

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: "Robocalls are used by scammers to deceive consumers. We have an all-hands-on-deck approach to combating these calls and will not stop until consumers are truly safe from scammers."

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Enforcement Bureau:

Chief Loyaan Egal: "This action illustrates the unique capabilities that the Commission and the Enforcement Bureau bring to bear in protecting consumers from this sleight-of-hand effort to circumvent the necessary consent required to market these services using U.S. communications networks. Our efforts in this space continue unabated."

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What's New:

Michael D. Lansky, LLC, doing business as Avid Telecom, apparently originated illegal robocall traffic on behalf of one or more of its clients. As a result, the FCC has made clear that Avid is required to investigate, block, and permanently prevent this traffic from continuing. Failure to comply with the steps outlined in today's cease-and-desist letter may result in downstream voice service providers blocking all of Avid Telecom's traffic, permanently.

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How We Got Here:

The FCC's Enforcement Bureau worked with its designated Traceback Consortium - USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group - to determine the origin of apparently illegal robocalls.

Between March 8, 2023 and March 23, 2023, Traceback Consortium investigated prerecorded voice message calls related to health insurance that multiple state Attorneys General identified as illegal robocalls made without consent. The trail led to Avid Telecom as the originator of the robocalls.

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The Bigger Picture:

Chairwoman Rosenworcel established the FCC's Robocall Response Team to serve as an FCC staff working group to combat the unyielding menace of illegal spoofed, or scam, robocalls. The team pulls together expertise from across the agency to leverage the talents of enforcers, attorneys, policy makers, engineers, economists, and outreach experts.

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Getting Results:

* Blocking active robocall scam campaigns by issuing first-of-their-kind actions:

- 99% drop in auto warranty scam robocalls after an FCC action;

- 88% month-to-month drop in student loan scam robocalls;

- Halted predatory mortgage robocalls targeting homeowners nationwide;

* Fining companies record-breaking amounts for illegal robocalls and spoofing;

* Closing gateways used by international robocallers to reach Americans' phones;

* Widespread implementation of STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication standards - including applying the requirements to gateway providers;

* Working with industry to traceback illegal calls to their sources;

* Ensuring voice service providers meet FCC robocall mitigation requirements;

* Signing robocall investigation partnerships with 44 states, District of Columbia, Guam and international partners;

* Establishing first-of-their-kind regulations targeting scam text messaging; and

* Launched the Robocall Mitigation Database to monitor STIR/SHAKEN compliance

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View order here: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-orders-avid-telecom-cease-and-desist-robocalls

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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-394146A1.pdf