Feature Articles

On March 4, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced in a press release that the Commission will be voting this month on proposals regarding the use of offshore call centers by certain U.S. businesses.

First, the FCC will vote on reforms that can encourage businesses to bring call center jobs back the U.S.

Second, the FCC will explore ways to improve customer service at existing call centers, including a proposal to require call takers to be proficient in American Standard English.

Third, the FCC will address illegal robocalls that originate abroad by seeking comment on the targeted use of tariffs or bonds.  These proposals focus on the customer service centers run by the communications providers regulated by the FCC.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposed today would seek comment on:

• Ways to encourage and facilitate the onshoring of call centers, including limits on call volume from overseas call centers, empowering consumers to transfer calls to a U.S.-based location, or requiring covered providers to disclose the location of the call center during the customer interaction;
• Steps the FCC can take to improve the customer service and security of communications between an American and any call center that remains abroad, including requiring workers at call centers to be proficient in American Standard English and otherwise be trained appropriately for resolving issues with U.S. customers;
• How best to address illegal robocall scams that originate inside foreign call centers, such as ways we can take the profit out of those operations (including specifically the idea of requiring the use of bonds or tariffs in appropriate circumstances); and,
• The scope of the FCC’s legal authority, including the types of covered businesses, applicability of rules to call centers operated by communications providers regulated by the FCC, acknowledging limits on the FCC’s authority to address all potential call centers located overseas.

Quotes from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr:

“Americans get frustrated when they call a U.S. business and end up connecting with a call center located abroad.  Language and communications barriers often make it difficult for callers to promptly and efficiently get the results they want.  And these foreign-based call centers often create a heightened security risk as well.  So, the FCC will be voting on several proposals designed to reshore call center jobs and improve the customer service experience at the ones that remain—including by seeking comment on requiring call center workers to be proficient in American Standard English.  The FCC will also be opening up a new front in our efforts to block illegal robocalls from abroad by examining the targeted use of tariffs or bonds.”

“The over-reliance on foreign call centers is a risk to privacy, data protection, and even national security. Call centers often work with customers’ sensitive payment and account information. Yet, many foreign countries do not impose the same legal protections as the United States. In addition, foreign call centers have contributed to the onslaught of robocalls facing American households and businesses, often leveraging the training and the infrastructure used to operate legitimate call centers to defraud Americans.”

Stay tuned because the Commission will soon vote on:

• Limiting volume from overseas call centers;
• Empowering consumers to transfer calls to a U.S.-based location;
• Requiring covered providers to disclose the location of the call center during the customer interaction;
• Requiring workers at overseas call centers to be proficient in American Standard English and otherwise be trained
  appropriately for resolving issues with U.S. customers; and
• Requiring the use of bonds or tariffs in appropriate circumstances to deter illegal robocalls from offshore call centers.