Media Contact: 
Mike Snyder, (202) 418-0997
michael.snyder@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

CHAIRMAN PAI NAMES MEMBERS, ANNOUNCES FIRST MEETING OF HOSPITAL ROBOCALL PROTECTION GROUP
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WASHINGTON, July 14, 2020—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today announced the members and first meeting date of the new Hospital Robocall Protection Group, a federal advisory committee dedicated to combatting robocalls to hospitals.  The expert group will develop best practices on how phone companies can prevent unlawful robocalls to hospitals, how hospitals can better protect themselves from such calls, and what federal and state governments can do to help.  

“Robocalls can interfere with the critical life-saving work of hospitals and healthcare facilities and their dedicated front-line staff,” said Chairman Ajit Pai.  “I am exceedingly grateful to this devoted group of Americans who are committing their time, knowledge, and efforts to the Hospital Robocall Protection Group to help safeguard our nation’s critical healthcare system, especially during this unprecedented pandemic.  I look forward to working with them and hearing their insights into this significant problem.”

The HRPG’s first meeting will be held Monday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m.  The meeting will take place via video conference, and will be accessible online at http://www.fcc.gov/live with open captioning (other reasonable accommodations available upon request).  The public may submit questions to livequestions@fcc.gov, and may also follow summaries of the meeting on Twitter, @fcc, or on the FCC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fcc.

Chairman Pai has designated Paul D. (Dave) Summitt, Chief Information Security Officer of the Moffitt Cancer Center, to serve as Chair, and Patrick Halley, Senior Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, US Telecom, to serve as Vice Chair.  Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr and Federal Trade Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips have also been appointed to the advisory committee.  A full list of members appointed by the Chairman is available at https://www.fcc.gov/document/hospital-robocall-protection-group-members-and-first-meeting-announced.

This new federal advisory committee was created as required by the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), which gave the FCC additional tools and flexibility to eliminate malicious spoofing and scam robocalls.  Federal advisory committees were established by Congress to provide federal agencies with outside, expert advice on policy matters.
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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).