Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Today ordered voice service providers to block global gateway provider One Eye. The FCC alleges that the company, which serves as an “entrance” to U.S. phone networks from outside the country, allowed fraudulent robocalls, such as impersonating a major financial institution and calling about fake “pre-authorized orders” placed in consumer names. The Biden administration’s FCC has focused on expanding its ability to enforce automated calls. “This company — what’s left of it — will now go down in robocall history,” said Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworthel. “We can and will continue to disable providers that help scammers.”
Today’s order is the culmination of a series of FCC actions to stop One Eye from facilitating shady robocall campaigns. First, the agency cited the company’s predecessor, PZ/Illum Telecom, for robocalling illegal calls. Then in a termination letter sent in February, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau warned the newly created One Eye that its rebranding would not help it avoid the consequences, but warned that non-compliance would result in a permanent ban. (On the same day he warned US voice carriers on One Eye’s activities.) Finally, sent “initial determination order” in April, another step towards the lockdown he eventually issued today.
The FCC statement did not specify where One Eye is headquartered. The February cease-and-desist letter was addressed to a Delaware-registered limited company, but it could simply be the US arm of a global operation based elsewhere.
The block has teeth thanks to the FCC Gateway Vendor Order. published in May 2022. He laid out a new list of requirements for companies routing foreign calls to the US, including (among other things) caller ID authentication using the STIR/SHAKEN framework, submission of certification plans, response to tracing requests within 24 hours, and illegal blocking. traffic when notified to the FCC.
“The Bureau of Enforcement team has developed a fair, transparent, yet tough process by which we can essentially shut down access to US communications networks for companies like One Eye that target consumers with illegal robocalls,” said the head of the Bureau of Enforcement. Loyan Egal. “Today’s promotion demonstrates another cutting-edge tool in our bot call enforcement capabilities and represents a landmark date in our efforts to protect consumers from fraudulent calls.”