California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup, a multistate investigation targeting four major voice service providers—Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Peerless, and Lumen—for routing suspected illegal robocalls. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force sent warning letters demanding they stop transmitting such calls, following Phase 1 which already led to some providers being removed from the FCC's database. The AG emphasized that these companies have a heightened responsibility to block call traffic from known bad actors.
The providers were directed to immediately stop transmitting suspected illegal robocalls across their networks.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor and customer agreements with voice service providers or telecommunications carriers, focusing on clauses related to compliance with telemarketing laws (e.g., TCPA), call routing restrictions, audit rights, and termination for non-compliance. Specific attention should be paid to requirements for blocking or filtering suspected illegal robocalls, cooperation with traceback investigations, and reporting obligations. Agreements may need amendments to mandate proactive monitoring, immediate cessation of transmitting flagged call traffic, and indemnification for violations arising from the provider's network.
Entity
Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Peerless, Lumen
Industry
TelecommunicationsOfficial Press Release
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/it-bird-or-plane-it%E2%80%99s-robocall-task-force
https://ncdoj.gov/protecting-consumers/telephones-telemarketing/fighting-robocalls/warning-notices/
robocall task force strikes again attorney general bonta lau
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/robocall-task-force-strikes-again-attorney-general-bonta-launches-operation
California Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/privacy-enforcement-actions
"Inteliquent"
"Bandwidth"
"Peerless"
"Lumen"
"suspected illegal robocalls"
"warning letters"
A coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by Colorado AG Phil Weiser, obtained a temporary restraining order from a federal court in California to halt the proposed $110 billion merger of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. by Paramount Skydance Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in film distribution, anticipated blockbuster film distribution, and licensing cable TV channels.
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) joined a coalition of 18 Attorneys General and state agencies in opposing the proposed SECURE Data Act, a federal privacy bill that would preempt stronger state privacy laws like the CCPA. The coalition argues the bill would weaken consumer privacy protections, limit enforcement remedies, and undermine California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP).
$12.8M
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with multiple district attorneys and the California Privacy Protection Agency, announced a $12.75 million settlement with General Motors for illegally selling hundreds of thousands of Californians' location and driving data to data brokers Verisk and LexisNexis without notice or consent. The settlement includes the largest CCPA penalty to date, a five-year ban on selling driving data to consumer reporting agencies, and requirements to delete retained data and implement a robust privacy program.
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board voted to support two bills (AB 1542 and SB 1106) and took a 'support if amended' position on a third bill (AB 883). These bills aim to strengthen privacy protections by expanding sensitive data protections, improving deletion rights under the Delete Act, and providing expedited deletion for elected officials and judges.
The California Privacy Protection Agency sent a letter to Congress opposing the SECURE Data Act, a federal bill that would preempt state privacy laws like the CCPA and Delete Act. The letter argues the bill would eliminate rights for 40 million Californians, including the DROP platform and opt-out preference signal requirements, and urges Congress to set a floor rather than a ceiling on privacy protections.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by attorneys general from seven other states, filed a lawsuit to block the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by reducing competition in local TV markets, leading to higher prices, less local news, and job losses.