US FCC to develop scorecard rating phone companies on robocall blocking
The US Federal Communications Commission announced plans for a scorecard system to rate how effectively phone carriers block illegal robocalls, potentially including blocking statistics, complaint data and enforcement records.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced it will develop a robocall mitigation scorecard designed to compare how effectively phone service providers block illegal automated spam calls. The scorecard could combine call-blocking statistics with data on customer complaints and enforcement actions taken against providers.
Under the proposal, carriers could be rated using a numeric scale, letter grades, or risk categories such as low, medium, or high risk. The FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said the tool would give the public an objective assessment of how well voice providers protect consumers from illegal robocalls, while also pushing companies to keep improving their efforts.
The planned scorecard would cover wireless, wireline, and VoIP providers serving retail customers, but would exclude companies operating purely as wholesale or intermediate carriers. The FCC said the goal is to move beyond checking whether providers filed the correct paperwork, and instead measure actual outcomes — including how well illegal calls are blocked without mistakenly blocking legitimate ones.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said combating illegal robocalls remains the agency's top consumer protection priority. Commissioner Anna Gomez, the commission's only Democrat, said the scorecard could boost consumer awareness if it relies on the right information.
The FCC is now seeking public comment on which data sources to rely on, including information from providers themselves, call analytics companies, and other government agencies. It is also asking whether consumer complaints are a reliable measure, noting that filing a complaint doesn't necessarily mean a provider failed to block an illegal call.
Other potential data sources mentioned include FCC enforcement actions, filings in the Robocall Mitigation Database related to STIR/SHAKEN caller ID verification technology, and tracing data from the Industry Traceback Group.
Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), welcomed the FCC's renewed attention to the issue but voiced concern about what data would be used and whether it would truly help consumers. She said scorecards should be prominently disclosed on provider websites, billing statements, and marketing materials, and suggested the initiative could shame companies into doing better.
