EPIC, NCLC Urge FCC to Prohibit Misuse of Numbers and to Audit in Search of Bad Actors

EPIC and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) held a key meeting with the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau last week regarding misuse of numbering resources. The groups highlighted the well-documented practice of using number rotation to obscure the identity of a caller, pointing to VOIP services that facilitate this misconduct and litigation by state attorneys general identifying number rotation as indicative of fraud. EPIC and NCLC urged the FCC to find the practice illegal under its existing authorities and to issue a rule explicitly prohibiting the practice of number rotation on outbound calls. The groups additionally urged the FCC to use an existing audit process to investigate which carriers might be facilitating this practice, building on a 2023 recommendation of the North American Numbering Council. Much of EPIC and NCLC’s arguments were supported by representatives from Public Utilities Commissions. EPIC routinely participates in regulatory and legislative processes concerning robocalls (including robotexts) and files amicus briefs in robocall cases.