State Attorneys General and the undersigned voice service providers are committed to stopping illegal and unwanted robocalls for the American people. Therefore, state Attorneys General have engaged voice service providers to gain their support and assistance in combatting this pervasive problem. These Anti-Robocall Principles are the product of this engagement.

Illegal and unwanted robocalls continue to harm and hassle people every day. Consumer fraud often originates with an illegal call, and robocalls regularly interrupt our daily lives. Robocalls and telemarketing calls are the number one source of consumer complaints at many state Attorneys General offices, as well as at both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. State Attorneys General are on the front lines of enforcing do-not-call laws and helping people who are scammed and harassed by these calls.

Through law enforcement and technological developments, respectively, state Attorneys General and voice service providers are working to assist consumers and battle bad actors who scam consumers and intrude upon their lives. By implementing call blocking technology, knowing their customers, actively monitoring their networks for robocall traffic, cooperating in investigations that trace the origins of illegal robocalls, and integrating other practices enumerated in the Anti-Robocall Principles, these voice service providers will aid the state Attorneys General in identifying and prosecuting illegal robocallers.

ANTI-ROBOCALL PRINCIPLES FOR VOICE SERVICE PROVIDERS

The undersigned voice service providers declare that they will work with the undersigned state Attorneys General by incorporating, or continuing to incorporate, these Anti-Robocall Principles into their business practices:

Principle #1. Offer Free Call Blocking and Labeling. For smartphone mobile and VoIP residential customers, make available free, easy-to-use call blocking and labeling tools and regularly engage in easily understandable outreach efforts to notify them about these tools. For all types of customers, implement network-level call blocking at no charge. Use best efforts to ensure that all tools offered safeguard customers’ personal, proprietary, and location information.

Principle #2. Implement STIR/SHAKEN. Implement STIR/SHAKEN call authentication.

Principle #3. Analyze and Monitor Network Traffic. Analyze high-volume voice network traffic to identify and monitor patterns consistent with robocalls.

Principle #4. Investigate Suspicious Calls and Calling Patterns. If a provider detects a pattern consistent with illegal robocalls, or if a provider otherwise has reason to suspect illegal robocalling or spoofing is taking place over its network, seek to identify the party that is using its network to originate, route, or terminate these calls and take appropriate action. Taking appropriate action may include, but is not limited to, initiating a traceback investigation, verifying that the originating commercial customer owns or is authorized to use the Caller ID number, determining whether the Caller ID name sent to a receiving party matches the customer’s corporate name, trademark, or d/b/a name, terminating the party’s ability to originate, route, or terminate calls on its network, and notifying law enforcement authorities.

Principle #5. Confirm the Identity of Commercial Customers. Confirm the identity of new commercial VoIP customers by collecting information such as physical business location, contact person(s), state or country of incorporation, federal tax ID, and the nature of the customer’s business.

Principle #6. Require Traceback Cooperation in Contracts. For all new and renegotiated contracts governing the transport of voice calls, use best efforts to require cooperation in traceback investigations by identifying the upstream provider from which the suspected illegal robocall entered its network or by identifying its own customer if the call originated in its network.

Principle #7. Cooperate in Traceback Investigations. To allow for timely and comprehensive law enforcement efforts against illegal robocallers, dedicate sufficient resources to provide prompt and complete responses to traceback requests from law enforcement and from USTelecom’s Industry Traceback Group. Identify a single point of contact in charge of responding to these traceback requests, and respond to traceback requests as soon as possible.

Principle #8. Communicate with State Attorneys General. Communicate and cooperate with state Attorneys General about recognized scams and trends in illegal robocalling. Due to the ever-changing nature of technology, update the state Attorneys General about potential additional solutions for combatting illegal robocalls.

North Carolina Department of Justice