The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has entered an agreement with its United States counterpart to combat unlawful robocalls, unsolicited texts and phone scams.
Chair of ACMA, Nerida O’Loughlin said the communications regulator had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which would see them share intelligence, assist each other in appropriate investigations, and coordinate enforcement against cross-border entities.
“Scam activity has significant social and economic impact on consumers, with the scale and sophistication of malicious activity increasing,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“This agreement will see us working closer with our American counterparts to crack down on unsolicited communications in instances where cross-border issues are involved,” she said.
Ms O’Loughlin said the MOU, Mutual Assistance in the Enforcement of Laws on certain unlawful communications, built on the existing strategic and working relationship between the ACMA and FCC in the regulation of unsolicited communications.
The Chair said the disruption of phone scams was a 2021-22 compliance priority for the ACMA.
Acting Chair of FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel said robocall scams were a global problem that required global commitment and cooperation.
“With these irritating calls coming from near and far, we need international cooperation, information sharing, and enforcement to address this matter,” Ms Rosenworcel said.
“I want to thank our Australian friends for working with us on this agreement; by joining together we can help get these scammers off of our networks and protect consumers and businesses around the world,” she said.
The eight-page MOU can be accessed on ACMA’s website at this PS News link.
