California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced the launch of Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup, an effort led by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to address illegal robocalls nationwide. This new phase involves Bonta and 51 attorneys general sending warning letters to four major U.S. voice service providers, urging them to take immediate steps to prevent illegal robocalls from being routed through their networks.
The targeted companies—Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Peerless, and Lumen—are among the largest in the telecommunications sector. Authorities say these companies have a heightened responsibility to block call traffic from known sources of illegal robocalls but have continued to transmit millions of suspected illicit calls despite numerous industry warnings since 2019.
“Robocalls disrupt our lives and bombard us with never ending voicemails — for many Californians, robocalls are a daily, if not an hourly, source of frustration. These calls aren’t just annoying, in many cases they are illegal and a vehicle for harmful scams that can result in real financial losses for consumers. This is a nationwide problem, and we need nationwide solutions,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I am proud to continue in this national, bipartisan effort to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls by launching Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup. The four companies targeted today are continuing to transmit millions of suspected illegal robocalls. My office is committed to protecting Californians and tackling illegal robocalls that plague our phones, disrupt our days, and threaten our wallets.”
According to data released as part of the announcement:
– Inteliquent received 9,712 traceback notices since 2019 and was estimated to have allowed about 450 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls and over 1.4 billion Social Security Administration (SSA) or Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposter calls onto its network over three-to-four years.
– Bandwidth received 3,060 notices with estimates at nearly 163 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls and more than 301 million SSA/IRS imposter calls.
– Peerless had 5,662 notices with approximately 211 million Amazon/Apple imposters and about 585 million SSA/IRS imposters.
– Lumen saw 7,265 notices alongside roughly 262 million Amazon/Apple imposters and over 886 million SSA/IRS imposters.
These figures reflect significant ongoing activity despite repeated notifications meant to curb such practices.
Operation Robocall Roundup began with Phase 1 in August when warning letters were sent to smaller providers. The Task Force reports measurable results: thirteen companies were removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database; nineteen stopped appearing in traceback results; at least four terminated high-risk customer accounts associated with transmitting illegal traffic.
Bonta’s office has been active on multiple fronts against robocall-related issues. In April he notified nine companies regarding suspected illegal activity on their networks. In March he filed an amicus brief supporting FCC rules aimed at closing loopholes exploited by lead generators for mass consent-based calling campaigns.
Further actions include submitting comment letters backing FCC proposals designed to improve consumer protections via stricter database requirements and addressing potential threats posed by emerging artificial intelligence technology in robocalled communications.
The California Department of Justice is also pursuing litigation against Avid Telecom for allegedly facilitating billions of unlawful scam-related robocalls involving social security benefits, Medicare services, or employment opportunities.
### FACTS FOR STEP 3 ###
Operation Robocall Roundup is coordinated by a bipartisan group representing nearly every state attorney general’s office across the country.
(https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases)
Attorney General Bonta has supported federal regulatory changes intended both to limit unwanted automated calls/texts nationally and close loopholes exploited by scammers.
(https://oag.ca.gov/news)
The California DOJ continues legal action against telecom firms accused of enabling large-scale fraudulent calling campaigns targeting vulnerable populations.
