FCC Plans Robocall Scorecard to Grade Phone Companies on Spam Call Blocking

The Federal Communications Commission is considering a new public scorecard that would rate phone companies on how effectively they protect customers from illegal robocalls and spam calls.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking a new approach to the country’s persistent robocall problem: publicly grading telecommunications providers on how well they block illegal calls.

The FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau released a public notice on September 2, 2026, seeking comments on the creation of a Robocall Scorecard. The proposed system would give consumers an easier way to compare providers based on their efforts to detect, block and reduce illegal robocalls.

The agency says the goal is not to create another set of regulations for phone companies. Instead, the Scorecard would make information about carriers’ robocall mitigation efforts easier for consumers to understand and use when choosing a provider.

Why the FCC Wants a Robocall Scorecard

Robocalls have become a major consumer-protection problem, with scammers frequently using automated calls to impersonate government agencies, financial institutions, businesses and other organizations.

The FCC has already taken steps to address illegal robocalls, including requirements involving caller-ID authentication, call blocking, call labeling, provider verification and enforcement.

The agency now wants to make the performance of individual voice providers more transparent.

Under the proposal, consumers could eventually have a straightforward way to see how different phone companies compare when it comes to protecting customers from illegal robocalls.

The FCC says the Scorecard could also create a marketplace incentive: providers that perform poorly could face greater pressure from customers, while companies with stronger protections could use their results as a competitive advantage.

What Could Be Included in the Scorecard?

The FCC is asking for public input on what information should be used to evaluate providers.

Potential measurements could include data related to:

• How many illegal robocalls a provider blocks
• The effectiveness of the provider’s call-blocking technology
• Consumer complaints about unwanted calls
• Caller-ID authentication efforts
• Responses to robocall traceback investigations
• Information contained in the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database
• Whether legitimate calls are mistakenly blocked
• Other indicators of a provider’s robocall mitigation performance

The FCC is particularly interested in creating ratings that are accurate, relevant and easy for ordinary consumers to understand.

Avoiding the Problem of Blocking Legitimate Calls

Stopping spam calls is not simply about blocking as many calls as possible.

Aggressive filtering can also prevent legitimate calls from reaching customers. A call from a doctor’s office, school, delivery company or financial institution, for example, could potentially be incorrectly identified as unwanted.

That means the proposed Scorecard could need to measure both sides of the problem: how effectively a provider blocks illegal calls and how often its systems incorrectly block legitimate communications.

This could become one of the most important factors in determining whether the proposed ratings provide a useful picture of real-world carrier performance.

Public Ratings Could Put Pressure on Phone Companies

One of the FCC’s central arguments for the Scorecard is that consumers can influence providers through their purchasing decisions.

Rather than relying solely on government enforcement, the agency wants customers to have more information when selecting a wireless, landline or VoIP provider.

A provider that consistently receives poor robocall-protection results could potentially face pressure to improve its systems. Meanwhile, companies with stronger performance could highlight their scores when competing for customers.

The FCC describes the Scorecard as a consumer-facing tool rather than a new regulatory requirement. The September notice specifically says the proposal is not a rulemaking that would establish new requirements for voice service providers.

The FCC Is Seeking Public Feedback

The Scorecard is not yet a finalized system.

The FCC’s public notice asks interested parties to comment on several important questions, including which voice service providers should receive ratings and what information should be included.

The agency has set September 22, 2026, as the deadline for initial comments, followed by October 2, 2026, for reply comments.

The feedback process could influence how the eventual Scorecard is designed, including the data sources, rating methodology and way results are presented to consumers.

A New Way to Fight the Robocall Problem

The proposed Robocall Scorecard represents a shift toward greater transparency in the fight against unwanted calls.

For years, consumers have been encouraged to report robocalls, use carrier filtering tools and avoid answering suspicious numbers. The FCC’s proposal would add another layer by making the performance of phone providers easier to compare.

Industry observers have also raised questions about whether self-reported carrier data and consumer complaints can provide a sufficiently accurate picture of robocall activity. Recent reporting has highlighted concerns about how effectively existing protections work across different providers.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of the Scorecard will depend on the quality of the data behind each rating.

If the FCC can develop a system that is transparent, consistent and easy to understand, consumers could gain a valuable new tool for choosing a phone provider.

For now, however, the Scorecard remains a proposal, and the FCC is collecting public feedback before determining how the system should move forward.

Key Takeaways

• The FCC is considering a public Robocall Scorecard for phone providers.
• The system would evaluate how effectively companies combat illegal robocalls.
• Possible measurements include call blocking, complaints, authentication and other mitigation efforts.
• The FCC wants the ratings to be simple and useful for consumers.
• The proposal would not create new regulatory requirements for carriers.
• Initial public comments are due September 22, 2026.
• Reply comments are due October 2, 2026.