Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General Send USTelecom Letter Outlining Plan to Strengthen Illegal Robocall Enforcement
LINCOLN – Attorney General Peterson recently joined a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys general in calling on USTelecom – the leading organization representing telecommunications providers – to continue its collaboration with state attorneys general by bolstering technological capabilities to improve enforcement against illegal robocallers.
In a letter sent TODAY to USTelecom, the coalition is urging the association to further develop robocall traceback and other tools suited to law enforcement needs.
The letter asks USTelecom and its collaborative Industry Traceback Group (ITG) to advance its abilities in identifying robocall campaigns and trends; conducting automated traceback investigations; and coordinating with relevant law enforcement agencies.
A key part of that action would be for USTelecom to develop and roll out an online platform to collect live data from carriers and robocall-blocking apps.
When USTelecom or a law enforcement agency detects an illegal robocall campaign, the law enforcement agency would then be able to submit a subpoena to USTelecom through a streamlined online portal. The platform would bolster law enforcement investigations and could potentially lead to attorneys general offices issuing temporary restraining orders that could stop a live robocall campaign in its tracks.
The coalition believes these measures would strengthen the partnership between the USTelecom-backed ITG and attorneys general, a relationship that led to the creation last August of the Anti-Robocall Principles.
More recently – and due in part to the support from the telecommunications industry and state attorneys general – the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act was signed into law by the federal government. This law enables the industry to develop call-authentication protocols to combat caller-ID spoofing and implement other sweeping anti-robocall measures.
To obtain information about how to protect yourself as a consumer, file a consumer complaint, or report a scam, please visit the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Division website at www.protectthegoodlife.nebraska.gov or call (800) 727-6432.
