FCC advances effort to bring telecom call centers back to the US

The FCC has advanced a proposal that would strongly discourage telecom providers from using overseas call centers and push them to offer U.S.-based agents, while tightening rules on foreign centers that remain in use.

What the FCC is doing

• The FCC is considering a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) targeting offshore customer service operations used by telecom carriers, VoIP providers, cable operators, satellite broadcasters and affiliated broadband providers.

• The item is on the agenda for the FCC’s March 26, 2026 open meeting, with a vote to kick off a formal rulemaking and comment period.

Key elements of the proposal

• Onshoring incentives: The FCC is exploring mechanisms that would make it more attractive or less costly-risky for providers to locate call centers in the U.S., and to impose additional requirements on heavy reliance on foreign centers.

• Caps on offshore usage: The draft suggests limiting the share of customer service calls that can be handled offshore, floating a cap around 30% of calls, with details left for comment.

• Mandatory disclosure: For calls handled abroad, providers would have to disclose at the start of the interaction that the call is being handled outside the U.S., potentially naming the country.

• Right to transfer onshore: Consumers would gain a right to request transfer to a U.S.-based agent, with wait times for such transfers not worse than those for calls initially routed onshore.

• English proficiency: All customer service agents for communications providers, including those offshore, would need to demonstrate proficiency in Standard American English.

• Data and robocall safeguards: The proposal would tighten data-security obligations for offshore centers and consider tariffs or bonds aimed at foreign centers implicated in robocall and scam traffic into the U.S.

• Tracking/reporting: Providers would have to track and report metrics such as offshore call volumes, transfers to U.S. agents, wait times, and language proficiency testing results.

Rationale and legal footing

• The FCC cites consumer complaints about language barriers, service quality and inability of offshore agents to resolve issues, plus concerns about data security and the role of foreign centers in illegal robocalls.

• The Commission points to Sections 201(b) and 222 of the Communications Act (unjust/unreasonable practices and CPNI), Section 251(e), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act as sources of authority for these rules over covered providers and foreign-originating calls and texts.

Timeline and interplay with Congress

• Draft NPRM released: March 5, 2026.

• Planned FCC vote: March 26, 2026 open meeting; if adopted, comments would be due 30 days after Federal Register publication, with reply comments 30 days later.

• In parallel, the “Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025” in Congress would impose similar disclosure and transfer rights more broadly across industries and affect federal funding eligibility for companies that offshore significant call-center work.