Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
FCC ADOPTS RULES TO ALLOW PHONE COMPANIES TO  
PROACTIVELY BLOCK ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS
New Rules Authorize Call Blocking of Certain Types of Numbers That Do Not or 
Cannot Make Outgoing Calls
  --
WASHINGTON, November 16, 2017—The Federal Communications Commission today
approved new rules to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls, allowing phone companies to 
proactively block calls that are likely to be fraudulent because they come from certain types of 
phone numbers.
Unwanted calls, including illegal robocalls, are the top consumer complaint at the FCC, with 
more than 200,000 received annually. Some private analyses estimate that U.S. consumers 
received approximately 2.4 billion robocalls per month in 2016. Advancements in technology 
make it cheap and easy to make robocalls and to “spoof” Caller ID information to hide the 
caller’s true identity.  
For example, perpetrators have used IRS phone numbers that don’t dial out to impersonate the tax 
agency, informing the people who answer that they are calling to collect money owed to the U.S. 
government.  Such calls appear to be legitimate to those who receive them and can result in fraud 
or identity theft.  
To combat these scams, the new rules approved today expressly authorize voice service providers 
to block robocalls that appear to be from telephone numbers that do not or cannot make outgoing 
calls, without running afoul of the FCC’s call completion rules.  
As a result of today’s action, voice service providers will be allowed to block calls purporting to 
be from a phone number placed on a “do not originate” list by the number’s subscriber.  They 
will also be allowed to block calls purporting to be from invalid numbers, like those with area 
codes that don’t exist, from numbers that have not been assigned to a provider, and from numbers 
allocated to a provider but not currently in use. 
To minimize blocking of lawful calls, today’s Report and Order encourages voice service 
providers that elect to block calls to establish a simple way to identify and fix blocking errors.  
The rules also prohibit providers from blocking 911 emergency calls.
Action by the Commission November 16, 2017 by a Report and Order, and Further Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 17-151). Chairman Pai, Commissioners Clyburn, O’Rielly, and Carr 
approving.  Commissioner Rosenworcel approving in part and dissenting in part. Chairman Pai, 
Commissioners Clyburn, O’Rielly, Carr, and Rosenworcel issuing separate statements.
CG Docket No. 17-59
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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes 
official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).