Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General Urges FCC to Strengthen KYC Rules Against Illegal Robocalls

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is leading a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for voice service providers. The coalition says stronger requirements would help combat illegal robocalls.

Coalition Calls for Stronger Customer Verification

According to the coalition, KYC rules require originating voice service providers to verify who is using their networks and understand the nature of their customers’ businesses.

The attorneys general said stronger verification requirements would help providers identify illegitimate customers, suspend or terminate unlawful callers, and prevent bad actors from accessing the nation’s telephone network.

The coalition noted that originating voice service providers play a critical role because illegal robocalls begin when those providers allow scammers to place calls through their networks.

Three Key Recommendations

In the letter, the attorneys general urged the FCC to strengthen its existing KYC framework by:

• Requiring providers to better understand their customers’ business activities, reputation, intended use of services, and compliance with state and federal laws.
• Applying enhanced KYC requirements uniformly to all originating voice service providers, regardless of size.
• Requiring additional due diligence and ongoing monitoring for high-risk customers, including those using high-volume calling services.

These measures could help reduce opportunities for scammers to use legitimate communications networks for unlawful activity.

Robocall Concerns Continue

The coalition cited data indicating that Americans received more than 29.6 billion scam robocalls and text messages last year, resulting in nearly $2 billion in reported losses.

The attorneys general said the continued volume of illegal robocalls demonstrates that existing customer verification requirements should be strengthened.

Part of Broader Enforcement Effort

The letter forms part of Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup, a nationwide initiative led by Attorney General Jackson through the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force.

According to the announcement, Phase 1, launched in August 2025, involved warning letters to 37 smaller voice service providers that were allegedly allowing suspected illegal robocalls onto U.S. telephone networks.

Phase 2, launched in December 2025, expanded the initiative to include four of the nation’s largest intermediate voice service providers.

Earlier this month, the coalition also urged the FCC to adopt additional measures to prevent scammers from using legitimate phone numbers. 

Broad Bipartisan Support

The letter was signed by attorneys general representing 50 jurisdictions, including states from across the country, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The broad bipartisan participation reflects continued multistate efforts to address illegal robocalls through regulatory and enforcement initiatives.