On August 12, a coalition of Attorneys General announced “Operation Robocall Roundup”—a multistate enforcement action aimed squarely at voice service providers accused of transmitting illegal robocalls. This time, the regulators aren’t just chasing the scammers themselves; they’re going after the telecom infrastructure that enables them.

Who’s in the Crosshairs?

The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force sent warning letters to 37 voice providers, alleging they knowingly or recklessly allowed unlawful robocalls to pass through their networks. The list includes both domestic and foreign companies, such as DigitalOcean LLC, Infinity SIP LLC, TheVisionConnect, and Whisl Telecom LLC (along with its affiliates). The full roster reads like a who’s-who of lesser-known carriers, but the message is clear: if you open your pipes to junk calls, the AGs are coming for you.

Why This Matters

1. Expanding the target zone
Traditionally, enforcement has focused on the entities originating illegal calls. This sweep underscores that state AGs are now holding upstream enablers accountable—anyone in the call path who “should have known” they were facilitating violations. The FTC has long taken the position—and acted on it—that telecom providers, including VoIP providers, can be liable under the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) for “assisting and facilitating” illegal telemarketing.

What’s new here is that this is the first formal, coordinated effort by state Attorneys General to apply that same theory to voice providers. While there have been a few one-off state settlements in the past, this marks the first time a multistate AG coalition has publicly and explicitly asserted TSR-style liability against telecom intermediaries. In other words: the states are now playing the FTC’s game—just with more players on the field.

2. Compliance is a chain, not a link
For advertisers, marketers, and their counsel, this means vendor due diligence isn’t optional. If your campaigns rely on third-party voice providers, you should know exactly what they’re doing to detect and block suspect traffic.

3. Brand risk isn’t abstract
Even if your business isn’t the one dialing, being associated with illegal robocalls can damage consumer trust and invite regulatory scrutiny.

What’s Next

The warning letters give these companies a short window to respond and demonstrate corrective measures. Failure to act could lead to lawsuits, fines, or being effectively cut off from legitimate telecom partners. Given the Task Force’s growing coordination with the FCC and FTC, we can expect similar sweeps in other sectors where bad actors exploit intermediaries.

Key Takeaway

If you are an advertiser, agency, or telecom intermediary, now is the time to review your compliance programs. Scrutinize your call routing partners. Document your vetting procedures. And recognize that TSR-style liability is no longer just a federal concern—for the first time, state Attorneys General are formally and collectively taking that position. This expands your exposure from one cop on the beat to dozens, all working in tandem.