The DOJ, FTC and FCC touted the results of a joint initiative cracking down on a telemarketing operation responsible for billions of illegal robocalls Tuesday. The initiative, Operation Stop Scam Calls, included enforcement actions targeting "lead generators who deceptively collect consumers’ telephone numbers and then provide those telephone numbers to robocallers and others" to facilitate illegal robocalls, said a news release. “The FCC is committed to using every tool at its disposal to crack down on illegal robocalls and protect the US communications network,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal. DOJ noted that the partnerships have led to pursuing about 90 cases against illegal telemarketing operations. “The department and its partners are committed to pursuing those who make and facilitate these calls," said Arun Rao, deputy assistant attorney general-DOJ Civil Division Consumer Protection Branch. "Our collective efforts ... help us to expand our playbook, allowing us to outwit and defeat these perpetrators in their own arena," said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R). Collaboration is "a key component in investigating and prosecuting illegal robocallers," said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R). Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) noted that the "blatant disregard for consumer protection laws will not be tolerated and violators of these laws will be held accountable.” The announcement is "another important step in protecting consumers from illegal and unwanted robocalls," said USTelecom Vice President-Policy and Advocacy Josh Bercu, who's also Industry Traceback Group executive director: "The partnership among federal and state government agencies is producing real results."

The FCC should make originating service providers notify covered 988 service providers (CSP) of a 988 Lifeline outage, CX360 representatives told aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per docket 23-5 filings Monday. The voice and SMS-based information services firm also urged that CSPs should have to notify one another of an outage. CX360 said that with that information, it could understand better what's happening upstream and troubleshoot issues without having to contact a provider earlier in the call path. The company also argued against requiring all CSPs report outages affecting 988 to the FCC's network outage reporting system, as having entities not currently subject to NORS reporting obligations now have to do so "is both burdensome and inefficient." CX360 instead urged use of email and phone calls for CSPs to communicate 988 outages.

The FTC will join with 101 federal and state law enforcement agencies, including DOJ and the FCC, for the Tuesday announcement of a nationwide robocall and telemarketing “enforcement sweep,” said the FTC Monday. Also participating in the 10:30 a.m. CDT news conference from the FTC’s Chicago office will be Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) and Illinois AG Kwame Raoul (D), said the agency.

The FCC should harmonize its 911 outage reporting compliance timeline with its proposed 988 outage reporting timeline to ensure the 988 rules on the agency's July agenda don't take effect before the 911 rules do, USTelecom representatives told aides to the four commissioners, per a docket 23-5 filing posted Friday.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a proposal among commissioners to create a pilot program that would invest in cybersecurity services for eligible K-12 schools and libraries, said a news release Wednesday (see 2307050041). “With the growing number of sophisticated cyberattacks on schools and especially the rise in malicious ransomware attacks that harm our students, now is the time to take action," Rosenworcel said. If adopted, the pilot would invest up to $200 million over three years to "harden the cyber defenses and determine the most effective methods to protect our schools and libraries." The pilot would be established within the USF and be separate from the E-rate program to "ensure gains in enhanced cybersecurity don’t come at a cost of undermining E-rate’s success in promoting digital equity."

The General Services Administration’s inspector general recommended tightening procedures used by the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) to ensure contractors don’t provide unsecure telecom gear as part of federal multiple award schedule (MAS) contracts. Addressing this is “especially important with the increase in national security and intellectual property threats to the federal government’s supply chain,” the report said. The report said “FAS has not taken adequate actions against contractors that repeatedly violate the … restrictions on providing or using prohibited telecom items.” The service “does not have a process in place to notify customer agencies about their purchases of prohibited telecom items” and didn’t “initially comply” with federal acquisition regulation requirements “to include subsidiaries and affiliates of named entities in its efforts to identify prohibited telecom items on MAS contracts." The IG recommended FAS beef up rules to ensure contract modifications are “issued promptly when FAS identifies prohibited telecom items on MAS contacts” and that contractors “promptly remove prohibited telecom items from MAS contract price lists.” The IG wants “more stringent consequences for contractors that repeatedly attempt to offer prohibited telecom items” and a process instructing contractors that violate the restrictions to “notify and remit refunds to any customer agencies that purchased prohibited telecom items.” The FAS commissioner agrees with the findings, the IG said.

The FCC Wireline Bureau extended until Dec. 1, 2024, its waiver pausing the Lifeline voice-only support phasedown and minimum service standards increase. The bureau extended the waiver by a year to "understand the impact" of the affordable connectivity plan "on Lifeline subscribers’ use of their Lifeline benefit," said an order posted Friday in docket 11-42 (see 2207010062).

Comments are due Aug. 9, replies Sept. 8, on an NPRM on expediting the transition to next-generation 911, said a notice for Monday’s Federal Register. The FCC approved the NPRM 4-0 in June (see 2306080043).

The FTC and Florida attorney general sent $540,000 in checks to 4,600 consumers defrauded by a robocall scammer, Life Management Service of Orange County, the FTC said Thursday. The average check was $117, it said. Life Management used illegal robocalls to sell consumers bogus credit card interest rate reduction services, said the FTC and Florida’s 2016 complaint. In June 2019, the FTC said it partially settled the complaint by permanently barring 17 Life Management defendants from engaging in telemarketing and debt relief services and requiring them to pay for refunds. The U.S. District Court for Middle Florida granted summary judgment to the FTC and Florida against the scheme’s ringleader, Kevin Guice, in December 2018. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that judgment in March 2022. The FTC noted it was able to send refunds because it reached a settlement before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the commission lacks authority under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act to seek monetary relief in federal court. “Because of that ruling, the Commission no longer has its strongest tool to return money to consumers, and it will become harder to provide refunds to consumers harmed by deceptive and unfair conduct.”

Comments are due Aug. 4 on requests by stakeholders to NTIA to consider exemptions of certain provisions of the “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance)” for application for grants and subgrants under the broadband, equity, access and deployment program. “In this Notice, NTIA seeks public comment on the issues raised by stakeholders and other questions relating to the relationship between the Uniform Guidance and the BEAD Program,” said a notice for Wednesday’s Federal Register.