Maryland AG joins bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal robocalls

BALTIMORE — Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is joining a bipartisan coalition of nearly 50 attorneys general urging federal regulators to strengthen efforts to stop illegal robocalls and scam texts.

The coalition is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to tighten rules requiring phone companies to verify the providers sending calls through their networks. The attorneys general say stronger oversight is needed to prevent fraudulent calls and messages from reaching consumers.

According to the coalition, Americans received nearly 30 billion scam robocalls and texts last year and lost close to $2 billion to fraud.

The group is asking the FCC to require phone companies to more thoroughly screen providers, regularly monitor networks for suspicious activity and cut off companies that fail to comply with the law.

The attorneys general are also pushing for stronger caller ID authentication requirements and tougher penalties for providers that allow illegal robocalls to pass through their networks.

Brown is part of a multistate task force that has been targeting companies linked to unlawful robocall traffic. The renewed push comes just weeks after federal regulators warned several providers to improve their robocall protection practices or risk losing access to the nation's phone network.

Officials say the proposed changes would help reduce the number of scam calls and texts reaching consumers while making it easier to hold bad actors accountable.

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