ABA expresses support for strengthening FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database

The American Bankers Association today expressed support for the Federal Communications Commission’s draft proposal to strengthen the Robocall Mitigation Database, or RMD. in a letter sent in advance the FCC’s July 22 vote on the issuance of the proposal.

RMD plays an important role in the FCC’s efforts to prevent criminals from making calls to customers posing as banks or other legitimate businesses. All voice service providers must register with the RMD and submit information about their practices to prevent the transmission of illegal calls over their networks.

However, the FCC concluded last year that in the past certain service providers “failed to exercise the necessary level of diligence to ensure that the information submitted to the database is accurate, complete and up-to-date.”

The proposal would strengthen the RMD by clarifying which entities must file reports in the RMD, to require entities to submit more specific information about their efforts to prevent the transmission of illegal calls, and to limit exemptions from the filing requirement, among other steps. Notably, the proposal also seeks comment on measures to prevent bad actor service providers — both the individuals and entities that run those service providers — from re-entering RMDs after the FCC removes them.

“It is critical that providers submit robust plans that describe how they will prevent criminal callers from accessing the provider’s network and that the commission holds providers accountable for monitoring their plans and preventing bad actors from re-entering RMD under a new corporate identity,” the ABA said.

The ABA also encouraged the FCC to continue to explore measures that reduce the time required to identify and remove from the RMD service providers that, based on objective evidence, appear to exist primarily to facilitate illegal call campaigns or other fraudulent communications.

“Accelerating the identification and removal of these bad actors will reduce harm to consumers, strengthen trust in the communications ecosystem, and better protect banks and their customers from phishing fraud,” the ABA said.