Trump's FCC aims to crack down on offshore call centers, illegal robocalls, chairman says

FIRST ON FOX - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on a proposal to improve customer service at call centers by encouraging onshoring and strengthening accountability for certain U.S. businesses, Chairman Brendan Carr announced Wednesday. 

The FCC will vote on reforms that may encourage businesses to bring call center jobs back to the U.S. because Carr believes "Americans get frustrated when they call a U.S. business and end up connecting with a call center located abroad." 

The FCC will also explore ways to improve customer service at existing call centers, including a proposal to require call takers to be proficient in Standard American English and will address illegal robocalls that originate abroad by seeking comment on the targeted use of tariffs or bonds.

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"Today, nearly 70% of U.S. businesses outsource at least one department, including customer service and call center operations, to locations abroad. As a result, too many Americans have struggled to resolve an issue with a representative due to cultural and language barriers," Carr told Fox News Digital. 

"Overseas customer service centers also raise concerns about protecting consumers' personal information. Foreign call centers have also contributed to the rampant influx of overseas scam calls, training staff that later use those skills to defraud consumers.

"Our proposal would require disclosure when calls are routed overseas, give consumers the option to switch to a U.S.-based representative and add stronger safeguards for personal data - all while improving service and creating new economic opportunities here at home. To further discourage illegal robocalls from abroad, the item also seeks comment on the use of targeted tariffs or bonds."

Many corporations shifted their customer service and call center operations from America to a range of foreign countries within the past few decades, with nearly 70% of U.S. companies outsourcing at least one department, according to the FCC. 

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The commission believes the practice takes jobs away from communities across the country and creates customer service issues for Americans in the process. Carr also believes the overreliance on foreign call centers is a risk to privacy, data protection and even national security.

A notice of proposed rulemaking will seek comment on ways to encourage and facilitate the onshoring of call centers, steps the FCC can take to improve the customer service and security of communications between an American and any call center that remains abroad and how to address illegal robocall scams that originate inside foreign call centers. 

The announcement is the latest attempt by Carr to make life less frustrating for Americans. 

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Last month, the FCC announced it would seek public comments on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services. The comment period runs through March 27 and replies to the comments are due April 13. The move comes as the NFL, NBA, MLB and other major sports have moved many games from broadcast and cable television to streaming services. 

"From a consumer perspective, they were used to, for a long time, you sit down, you flip on the TV and you find your favorite sports game right there," Carr told Fox News Digital at the time. 

"It was either free, or it was already part of the TV package that you already purchased. In the last couple of years, we've seen a movement of a significant number of games behind paywalls. I think that's been really frustrating for so many consumers."

Carr was appointed by President Donald Trump.