FCC Proposes New Numbering Policies to Help Combat Illegal Robocalls 
Proposal Will Explore Ways to Make It Harder for Bad Actors to Obtain Phone Numbers 
   
WASHINGTON, March 26, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an item proposing to expand certification and disclosure requirements to all providers that receive telephone numbering resources—directly or indirectly, and to increase visibility into what entities are doing with these finite resources—to stop scammers from exploiting gaps in the system.  In doing so, this proposal focuses on stopping bad actors before a call even originates by tightening how numbers are obtained and used, in order to strengthen the Commission’s robocall enforcement efforts.

The FCC is cracking down on the scourge of illegal robocalls by tackling the problem at every stage of a call’s lifecycle.  From blocking to traceback, from call authentication to robocall mitigation, the FCC is making it harder for fraudsters to ring your phone.  The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted today attacks this issue at the very first stage of the call path—numbering.  While bad actors can initiate an illegal robocall in a variety of ways, their efforts to deceive American consumers start with a telephone number.  And that is what the FCC’s proposals focus on today.

The Notice will seek comment on and evaluate whether to adopt changes to the Commission’s policies with respect to how assigned numbering resources are used, reported, and resold by service providers.  As part of this Notice, the Commission proposes to further extend the robocall certification requirements to all service providers that receive numbering resources directly from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator and to resellers.  The Notice also proposes changes to service provider reporting that would enhance transparency into whether numbers are resold and how they are used.

The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has found that the majority of its robocall investigations have involved resold numbers.  This alone necessitates a closer look at how these bad actors are obtaining numbers in the first place.  The Commission will explore and propose a range of solutions to strengthen its numbering requirements and policies, particularly as they relate to resellers that use numbering resources to engage in some of the most extensive illegal robocalling schemes, such as number “cycling” in which service providers churn through large quantities of telephone numbers on a rotating and even single-use basis to evade detection.

Action by the Commission March 26, 2026 by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-17).  Chairman Carr, Commissioners Gomez and Trusty approving.  Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issuing separate statements.

WC Docket Nos. 26-49, 20-67, 13-97, 07-243

###

Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500
@FCC / www.fcc.gov