FCC Disconnects 1,200 Voice Service Providers in Robocall Crackdown

Over 1.1 million robocall complaints were filed last year, with older adults hit hardest by scam losses.

Published: 8/26/2025, 2:38:37 AM EDT

FCC Disconnects 1,200 Voice Service Providers in Robocall Crackdown — A person gets a phone call from an unknown number in a stock photo. (Shutterstock)

If your phone is constantly ringing with scam calls, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is aiming to shut down the channels that scammers use to flood Americans with unwanted—and illegal calls. On Monday, the agency disconnected more than 1,200 voice service providers from the U.S. telephone network for failing to comply with anti-robocall rules.

Voice providers are the companies that carry calls across phone networks. While some are household names, many are smaller operations selling bulk calling services. These smaller firms are the ones most often used by scammers and robocallers.

“These providers violated FCC rules by failing to maintain accurate Robocall Mitigation Database certifications, thereby shirking their obligations to protect consumers from illegal robocalls,” the agency stated in a press release. Earlier this month, the FCC removed 185 providers in a preliminary enforcement action as a warning.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called robocalls an “all-too-common frustration—and threat—to American households.”

“The FCC is doing everything in its power to fight back against these malicious and illegal calls. Providers that fail to do their duty when it comes to stopping these calls have no place in our networks. We’re taking action and we will continue to do so,” he said.

According to the FCC, all phone providers must show they are combating robocalls by implementing STIR/SHAKEN caller ID verification and submitting a mitigation plan. Providers that fail to meet these requirements can be removed from the FCC’s database and blocked from carrying calls, and can only rejoin with approval from the Enforcement and Wireline Competition Bureaus.

The recent crackdown began in December 2024, when the FCC ordered 2,411 companies to fix deficient filings. After the preliminary removals in August, Monday’s action now bars more than 1,200 additional providers. The effort drew bipartisan support with a coalition of 51 state attorneys general launching “Operation Robocall Roundup,” sending warning letters to 37 providers ignoring federal rules.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans filed over 1.1 million complaints about robocalls in 2024. The most common were related to medical and prescription issues, followed by imposter scams, then debt-reduction calls, and pitches tied to energy, solar, utilities, and home improvement.

“Illegal calls remain a scourge, but the FTC’s strategy to pursue upstream players and equip the agency to confront emerging threats is showing clear signs of success,” said Sam Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, adding that it’s critical to “not only telemarketers but those firms who knowingly profit from scam calls.”

Older adults have been especially vulnerable to scams over the phone. Call center fraud, including tech support and government impersonation scams, overwhelmingly target adults over 60, according to a report on Elder Fraud from the FBI. Adults over 60 lost nearly $770 million in 2023 due to call center fraud.

“Complainants over the age of 60 lost more to these scams than all other age groups combined, and reportedly remortgaged/foreclosed homes, emptied retirement accounts, and borrowed from family and friends to cover losses in these scams. Some incidents have resulted in suicide because of shame or loss of sustainable income,” noted the FBI’s report.