FCC Orders Voice Providers to Block Company That Facilitated Robocall Scams

The FCC is cracking down on a company that made it easier for scammers to inundate people with robocalls that impersonated a major financial institution.

The agency ordered voice service providers to block One Eye, which failed to block calls that tried to convince consumers a “preauthorized order” had been placed in their name.

As the FCC explains, gateway providers like One Eye “serve as the on-ramps to US phone networks for calls from outside the country,” but they’re required block illegal robocalls from reaching US phones. One Eye didn’t do that, even after it was given “ample opportunity” to end its facilitation of these campaigns, according to the FCC.

“This company—what’s left of it—will now have a place in robocall history,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement(Opens in a new window). “We can and will continue to shut off providers that help scammers. Because these junk calls are not just annoying, they are illegal, and facilitating them deserves serious consequences.”

The FCC says the move is its first-ever “roboblocking order.” Voice service providers have until June 10, 2023, to stop accepting traffic from One Eye.

“The Enforcement Bureau team has built a fair, transparent, but tough process by which we can essentially shut down access to US communications networks by companies such as One Eye that are targeting consumers with illegal robocalls,” Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said.

The FCC first cited One Eye’s predecessor, PZ/Illum Telecommunicationd for illegal robocalls. Then, in February, it issued a cease-and-desist letter, before formally demanding last month that the company block unlawful traffic.

Last year, the commission issued a similar order against Texas-based Global UC. The agency also recently began inviting(Opens in a new window) private companies and individuals to report suspected illegal activity.

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