FCC’s 2025 Call Blocking Draft Order: A Step Forward or a Step Back?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is back at it, rolling out a revised Call Blocking Draft Order for its upcoming February 27, 2025, Open Meeting. If this feels like déjà vu, that’s because it is—the original version was slated for the September 2024 meeting before being abruptly pulled for revisions. Now, with a new version on the table, the question is: Has the FCC done enough to address the growing problem of unwanted calls, or has it watered things down? Yesterday, veteran telecom attorney Glenn Richards shared his thoughts to his email group list, so after reflecting on it, I thought I'd put my own spin on this extremely interesting and thought-provoking development.

Let’s break it down.

What’s in the New Draft?

The FCC’s latest proposal makes some significant changes to its approach toward call blocking, extending some requirements while softening others. Here are the key provisions:

1. Call Blocking Expansion

The FCC is taking its “do-not-originate” (DNO) list more seriously, expanding the requirement for blocking calls from unauthorized, unallocated, or subscriber-requested numbers across all voice service providers in the call path. This means no more loopholes where bad actors can pass calls through multiple providers to escape detection.

Previously, only gateway providers had to enforce DNO list-based blocking. Now, that responsibility extends to every provider that touches the call. This is a big deal—it tightens the net on robocallers who use indirect routes to evade call-blocking mechanisms.

2. SIP Code Changes for Call Blocking Notification

The FCC has also tweaked its stance on caller notifications. Under the new proposal:

• Voice providers must use SIP code 603+ to indicate that a call was blocked based on analytics.
• The previous use of SIP codes 603, 607, and 608 for different call-blocking scenarios has been eliminated.

The reasoning? Standardizing the response code should speed up mistaken call-block resolution and make it clearer for legitimate callers when and why their calls were blocked.

What’s Missing?

Despite some strong moves, the new draft also removes certain obligations that were present in the September 2024 draft:

1. No Mandatory Caller Name Display

One of the biggest omissions? The FCC has backed off a requirement that providers must display caller name information when a caller ID has been authenticated. Instead, they are “encouraging” voluntary adoption of Rich Call Data (RCD), which would provide more context about a caller’s identity.

Encouragement is nice, but history tells us that voluntary compliance doesn’t always lead to widespread adoption. Without a mandate, it’s unclear if the industry will take the initiative.

2. Text Message Blocking Off the Table

The earlier draft took a stronger stance against spam text messages, but the latest version removes those provisions. While robocalls are a major nuisance, fraudulent text messages are just as dangerous, often being the gateway for phishing scams. Dropping text message protections is a step backward.

3. Weaker Enforcement Penalties

Originally, the September 2024 draft had strict base forfeiture penalties for non-compliance. The February 2025 version scales those back, meaning providers that fail to block bad actors could face fewer financial consequences. That raises concerns about whether the FCC will be able to effectively enforce compliance.

The Bigger Picture

This latest move by the FCC is part of its broader, years-long effort to combat robocalls. Initiatives like STIR/SHAKEN caller authentication have helped, but bad actors continue to find ways around the system, often exploiting overseas call centers and unregulated smaller VoIP providers.

What we’re seeing here is a balancing act—the FCC wants to empower voice service providers to take stronger action against illegal robocalls while avoiding overly burdensome regulations that might slow down legitimate traffic. But with the increasing sophistication of call spoofing, is a lighter touch the right approach?

Is This Enough?

The revised February 2025 Call Blocking Order does a few things right: ?? Expands do-not-originate list enforcement to all voice providers. ?? Simplifies SIP code usage for faster resolution of blocked calls. ?? Encourages Rich Call Data adoption, which could improve caller ID accuracy.

But it also takes a step back in some critical areas: ? No mandatory caller name display, making it harder to verify legit calls. ? Text message blocking provisions removed, leaving SMS fraud unchecked. ? Weakened enforcement, which could reduce accountability for bad actors.

The bottom line? While some progress has been made, this order feels like a compromise rather than the bold action that many hoped for.

For legitimate businesses that struggle with mistakenly blocked calls, the standardized SIP 603+ response could be a small win. But for consumers still bombarded with fraudulent calls and text messages, this order might not be the game-changer they were hoping for.

The FCC has left the door open to future mandates if voluntary adoption of key measures doesn’t happen. But in the meantime, the battle against robocalls continues—and the bad guys are always adapting.

Final Thoughts

The FCC’s 2025 Call Blocking Draft Order represents incremental progress, but not a full-scale solution. With robocall scams becoming more sophisticated, enforcement needs to be proactive, not reactive. Until the FCC finds a way to enforce real accountability, robocallers will keep playing the system—and consumers will keep paying the price.

If the industry doesn’t step up voluntarily, expect another round of FCC rulemaking before long.

What do you think? Has the FCC done enough, or does this leave too many loopholes? Drop a comment below! Or better yet, join me and some telecom regulatory's brightest minds at ITExpo in Fort Lauderdale and my panel on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 4:00-4:45pm "From Texting to TikTok: Defining Digital Regulation" with Tom Sheahan, Glenn Richards and Scott Navratil where we will discuss the changing landscape that is shaping things.