Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a bipartisan group of 50 attorneys general, has launched the second phase of Operation Robocall Roundup. This initiative, led by the multi-state Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, aims to address illegal robocalls nationwide. As part of this effort, Raoul and the task force have sent letters to four major telecommunications service providers—Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Lumen, and Peerless—demanding that they stop transmitting suspected illegal robocalls on their networks.
“Today’s letters are the latest step in our task force’s efforts to address intrusive and illegal robocalls that plague Illinoisans. As larger providers, these companies have a heightened responsibility to decline call traffic from known and repeat bad actors,” Raoul said. “Despite extensive notices and years of documented warnings, they continue to route suspected illegal robocalls onto their networks. This is why I will continue to work closely with my fellow attorneys general and the FCC to protect Illinois consumers and ensure all telecom companies play by the rules.”
Earlier in August, Attorney General Raoul issued warning letters to 37 smaller voice providers that were found allowing suspected illegal robocalls onto U.S. telephone networks. The current phase targets companies with a much larger presence in the telecommunications sector.
The letters sent to Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Lumen, and Peerless included data showing each company’s involvement in suspected illegal robocall activity. Since 2019, each provider has received thousands of traceback notices—official alerts from industry investigators indicating that calls tied to suspected illegal campaigns were routed through their systems. The data also showed millions of scam calls related to fake Amazon, Apple, Social Security, or IRS schemes passing through these networks.
Raoul noted that after sending out the first round of warning letters:
– Thirteen companies were removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database.
– Nineteen companies stopped appearing in traceback results.
– At least four providers terminated high-risk customer accounts linked to illegal call traffic.
The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force was formed in 2022 by 51 attorneys general as a coordinated effort to investigate and take legal action against those responsible for large volumes of fraudulent calls entering U.S. networks.
Attorney General Raoul has consistently advocated for measures against illegal robocalls. His office continues investigations and enforcement actions against entities involved in high volumes of fraudulent calls across the country. In previous years, Raoul joined coalitions defending anti-robocall laws before the Supreme Court and partnered with phone companies on principles aimed at combating unwanted calls. He has also worked with federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission on enforcement actions targeting operations responsible for massive numbers of robocalls and submitted recommendations supporting new FCC rules intended to curb telemarketing abuses.