WASHINGTON—The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has issued an order related to the establishment of a safe harbor from liability for voice service providers (VSPs) that block unwanted calls, as well as a further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPR) to better inform call blocking efforts.
The newly adopted rules offer companies two safe harbors from liability for the unintended or inadvertent blocking of wanted calls, NAFCU reported.
The rules include clarifications that state:
- A terminating service provider that blocks calls is prohibited from imposing an additional charge on callers for removing erroneous blocks promptly
- A VSPs implementation of the required redress mechanism is a condition of receiving the protections of the safe harbor
The FNPR also seeks comment on whether VSPs should provide notification of blocking to callers rather than the policing of networks.