To fulfill yet another requirement of the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has initiated a rulemaking proceeding to address one-ring scams. These occur “when a call placed to a consumer’s phone rings just once, using international toll-generating numbers that charge large fees per minute when consumers call back.”

In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released April 28, 2020 (NPRM), the agency seeks comment on “proposals for implementing the TRACED Act’s [Section 12] requirements to further protect consumers from the one-ring scam, including: allowing voice service providers to block calls highly likely to be associated with a one-ring scam; working with federal, state, and foreign law enforcement and government agencies to combat one-ring scams; building on existing consumer education and outreach efforts; enhancing FCC work with entities that provide call-blocking services; and seeking consensus on what obligations international gateway providers should have in the efforts to stop these calls.”

Initial comments on the NPRM will be due no later than 30 days after the item is published in the Federal Register. Reply comments will be due no later than 45 days after the publication date.