West Virginia Attorney General issued the following announcement on June 8.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recently filed comments with attorneys general across the nation urging the Federal Communications Commission to implement proposed rules aimed at fighting illegal robocalls.
The rules would facilitate continued collaboration among state attorneys general and telecom companies in tracing back illegal robocalls to their source, consistent with the TRACED Act, supported by Attorney General Morrisey and many partnering states.
“State Attorneys General have long been leaders in the fight against illegal robocallers and their assault on the American people’s privacy,” Attorney General Morrisey joined in writing. “As a result of the rise of caller ID spoofing, there is limited visibility of the entities and individuals that perpetrate these harassing and unlawful calls. State Attorneys General have prioritized tracking down these bad actors and bringing their illegal activity to light.”
The bipartisan coalition contends in its comments that traceback investigations are necessary for law enforcement to more efficiently identify and investigate illegal robocallers and expose voice service providers that assist and facilitate illegal robocallers.
Attorney General Morrisey and many of his same partners successfully called upon Congress to pass the TRACED Act last year. Signed in December, the legislation enables states, federal regulators and telecom providers to take steps to combat the unlawful calls.
The Attorney General initiated discussions last year with several phone companies in an effort to gain their commitment to expedite the deployment of scam blocking technology in West Virginia.
A short time later, he joined attorneys general from every state in reaching a bipartisan, public-private agreement that resulted in 12 phone companies adopting eight principles to fight illegal robocalls. The pact will protect consumers and make it easier for attorneys general and law enforcement to investigate and prosecute bad actors.
Original source can be found here.