Robocall crackdown led by AG Nessel aims to block illegal calls to Michigan residents by pressuring 37 telecom companies to follow FCC rules.

Are you consistently getting calls from unknown numbers labeled SPAM? Well, over 32,000 Michigan residents did too. As a result, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched a multistate robocall crackdown through the Operation Robocall Roundup, an initiative by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. The campaign targets 37 telecom providers accused of enabling illegal calls into the United States, including Michigan, by failing to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations.

Robocall Crackdown Focuses on Telecom Infrastructure

The robocall crackdown unites 51 attorneys general in issuing warning letters to companies that allegedly skipped basic FCC requirements such as responding to traceback requests, registering in the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, or filing plans to curb illegal traffic. These failures have allowed robocallers to pass through multiple networks until they reach consumers.

The task force has also alerted more than 100 downstream providers who accept call traffic from the 37 targeted firms, warning them that they are partnering with non-compliant operators. The FCC will remove seven of these providers from its mitigation database, effectively isolating them from compliant networks.

Why Michigan Is a Key Battleground in Robocall Enforcement

Michigan residents remain frequent targets for fraudulent calls. The Federal Trade Commission reported 32,647 robocall complaints from Michigan consumers in 2024, underscoring the persistence of the problem.

Earlier this year, Nessel secured a court judgment permanently banning a known robocall scammer from the telecom industry and ordering him to pay over $600,000 in penalties.

Expert View: Cutting Off Access Beats Chasing Calls

Telecom policy analysts say the robocall crackdown represents a shift from reactive measures to preventative strategies.

“Providers that allow illegal traffic face serious consequences. We will not hesitate to take decisive action to protect consumers.”
—?FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said in a statement regarding cease-and-desist orders issued to providers accused of facilitating illegal robocalls

Michigan’s Ongoing Role in the National Anti-Robocall Fight

Michigan joined the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force in 2022, aligning with other states to pursue telecom firms facilitating large-scale scam operations. Since then, the state has participated in multiple lawsuits and enforcement actions designed to protect consumers from phone fraud.

Related coverage:

May 2025: Michigan court order removes major robocaller from the telecom sector (michigan.gov).
Ongoing FCC actions to strengthen robocall mitigation rules (fcc.gov).