According to a press release issued last Thursday, the nation’s robocall watchdog demanded that the companies take steps to immediately address the illegal traffic in its latest action to curb robocalling. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reportedly notified Duratel LLC, Primo Dialler LLC, and PZ/Illum Telecommunication LLC after an investigation indicated that they each transmitted multiple illegal robocall campaigns originating on their networks.
The FCC said that an investigation was undertaken by its enforcement arm in collaboration with the industry-led Traceback Consortium, the group chosen to identify the providers that receive the most tracebacks over a 60-day period pursuant to the TRACED Act. The inquiry concluded that the three companies facilitated illegal robocall campaigns on behalf of one or more customers.
For example, “Duratel and PZ/Illum originated substantial numbers of government imposter scam calls including posing as the Social Security Administration, the Federal Reserve, or the Department of Homeland Security,” while “Primo Dialler originated robocalls that threatened utility discontinuation and offered fake credit card rate reductions,” the FCC said.
The companies must not only mitigate the illegal traffic, but must also inform the FCC and the Traceback Consortium of remedial actions taken to prevent clients from using their networks to make future illegal robocalls. The press release noted that if the companies fail to take such steps, other networks will be authorized, and possibly even be required, to block their traffic.
According to the press release, this round of letters represents the fourth tranche of FCC Enforcement Bureau notices. The bureau reportedly issued similar letters earlier this year to several companies, most of whom have reportedly complied with agency demands.
