FCC Proposes Robocall Scorecard to Rate Providers’ Consumer Protection Efforts

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday proposed a new consumer tool dubbed a Robocall Scorecard, designed to give consumers clear insight into how well service providers protect them from illegal robocalls.

A public notice released by the FCC seeks input on key principles for creating and maintaining the scorecard. These principles include ensuring the tool is easy to understand and accessible, establishing relevant and accurate rating criteria, and creating an iterative process for continuous improvement.

“Combatting the scourge of illegal robocalls remains the FCC’s top consumer protection priority. Since I became chairman, we have been tackling the problem at every point of the call path,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “In keeping with this steady drumbeat of work on behalf of American consumers, today’s announcement reinforces the agency’s dedication to protecting consumers from illegal robocalls and ensuring they have the tools they need to make informed choices.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the Robocall Scorecard will help consumers assess how providers are mitigating illegal robocalls, as well as incentivize providers to improve. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The notice outlines potential metric categories, including conduct-based metrics and outcome-based metrics, while seeking public comment on data sources to ensure they are relevant in assessing how effectively providers protect their customers from illegal robocalls.

Additionally, the FCC is seeking comment on ways to ensure that rating criteria and data are derived from sources that clearly disclose reliability limitations, without inherently disadvantaging any particular provider.

Carr explained that the scorecard will not only provide consumers with more information about the measures providers are taking to fight illegal robocalls but will also incentivize providers to improve their efforts.

The FCC said that it remains focused on protecting consumers by cracking down on robocalls. (iStock)

The notice seeks comment on which providers should receive a scorecard rating. The FCC’s proposal is to rate only domestic voice service providers with retail customers, including all types of retail providers across network types that are subject to illegal robocalls. It also offers more detail about the proposed conduct and outcome-based metric categories.

Conduct-based metrics would evaluate whether a provider has taken specific steps or responded to specific requests regarding illegal robocall mitigation, regardless of whether those actions are immediately shown to reduce illegal robocalls. This includes offering consumer tools to label or block calls, as well as efforts to label or block calls and responses to traceback requests.

The FCC’s proposed Robocall Scorecard could measure conduct-based and outcome-based mitigation efforts. (FNC)

Outcome-based metrics would measure whether a provider’s efforts actually reduce the volume of illegal robocalls reaching consumers. This includes evaluating whether the number, rate, or severity of illegal robocalls experienced by consumers is lower due to provider actions.

The outcome-based category would look at consumer complaints filed with the FCC and other federal agencies, aggregated data on the number of calls blocked along with the false positive rate for legitimate calls that are mistakenly blocked, and the percentage of illegal robocalls received by consumers. It would also utilize trend data showing changes over time in the volume or rate of illegal robocalls, drawn from third-party analytics sources when possible.

Source link