The FCC held its March 2026 Open Meeting on March 26, and the first two items on the agenda matter to anyone who works in telemarketing, call centers, or customer services, or anyone who is just tired of getting scam calls. Both proposals passed with a unanimous vote from the Commissioners.
Proposal 1: Cracking Down on Offshore Call Centers
If you’ve ever called your phone or cable company and struggled to communicate with the person on the other end, the FCC heard you. The Commission approved a proposal that would place new rules on communications providers that use overseas call centers. The big-picture goals are simple: bring more call center jobs back to the U.S., give consumers a better experience, and cut off the pipeline of scam calls coming from foreign operations.
Here is what the FCC is considering:
- Language standards. Offshore call center staff would need to demonstrate proficiency in American English, not just basic comprehension, but fluency with everyday vocabulary, idioms, and cultural context.
- A cap on offshore calls. Providers could only route a limited percentage of their customer service calls to foreign call centers, with a proposed starting cap of 30%.
- Tell consumers where the call is going. If your call is being handled overseas, the provider would have to tell you.
- A right to transfer. Consumers could request to be transferred to a U.S.-based representative at any time.
- Sensitive data stays stateside. Any call involving payment information or account access would have to be handled by a call center located in the United States.
- New reporting requirements. Providers would need to demonstrate ongoing compliance with these rules.
- Financial penalties for foreign scam operations. The FCC is exploring tariffs or bonds to raise the cost of running illegal robocall schemes from abroad.
- Beyond phone calls. The FCC is also asking whether these rules should extend to chat, text, and email support handled overseas.
Commissioners made clear during the meeting that this is about accountability and better service. The proposal also aligns with two bills currently moving through Congress, so there’s momentum on this from both the regulatory and legislative sides.
One thing worth watching: while these rules would initially apply to phone companies, cable providers, and similar communications services, the FCC is asking whether the scope should be broader, potentially covering internet-only services and even telemarketing calls.
Proposal 2: Cutting Off Robocallers’ Access to Phone Numbers
The second proposal targets a different piece of the puzzle: the phone numbers themselves. Illegal robocallers rely on being able to obtain large batches of phone numbers, cycle through them quickly, and hide behind layers of middlemen. This proposal is designed to close those gaps.
Here is what the FCC wants to do:
- More providers must certify they’re fighting robocalls. Right now, only certain types of phone companies have to make this certification. The new rules would extend that requirement to every provider that gets access to phone numbers, including resellers.
- Better tracking of phone numbers. The FCC wants to overhaul its reporting system so regulators can track how phone numbers move from one provider to another and spot misuse more quickly.
- Limiting the resale chain. Robocallers often hide behind multiple layers of number resellers. The FCC is considering limiting resale to a single level, making it much harder to obscure who is actually making the calls.
- Cracking down on number recycling. Some bad actors rotate through huge batches of phone numbers, using each one only once or twice before moving on. This makes them nearly impossible to block. The FCC wants to put a stop to it.
- Working more closely with state regulators. The proposal would give state commissions better access to numbering data and potentially more authority to restrict access to phone numbers when abuse is detected.
The Commissioners emphasized that the goal is straightforward: make the phone system more transparent so that when your phone rings, you can have more confidence it is a real call and not a scam.
What Happens Next
Both proposals passed unanimously, but this is the start of the process, not the finish line. The public will have a chance to submit comments, and final rules are typically a year or more away from being adopted.
For a deeper dive, the Czar covered both of these proposals in a free telecom law webinar on TCPAWorld. Worth a watch!!!