Insights

Strengthening the Fight Against Illegal Robocalls: FCC Expands Do Not Originate Order

Mar 06, 2025

Illegal robocalls remain one of the most persistent threats to trusted voice communications, eroding consumer confidence and enabling fraud. Recognizing the need for stronger protections, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken decisive action by expanding its Do Not Originate (DNO) order, requiring all carriers in the call path — not just gateway providers — to block traffic from numbers that should never originate calls. This ruling marks a significant shift in the regulatory landscape, reinforcing industry-wide accountability and strengthening safeguards against fraudulent activity.

What Does the Expanded DNO Order Mean?

Previously, only gateway providers, the first U.S.-based carrier to receive foreign-originated calls, were required to block traffic from numbers listed on a “reasonable” DNO list. The new FCC ruling extends this obligation to ALL voice service providers in the call path, helping to ensure that no unauthorized calls slip through the network at any stage. This broader enforcement framework is designed to:

• Close gaps in the call path by ensuring all carriers take responsibility for blocking known fraudulent traffic

• Enhance consumer protection by reducing the likelihood of scam calls reaching end users

• Improve trust in voice communications by strengthening industry-wide compliance with call authentication standards

As service providers navigate these new requirements, having a robust, reliable DNO solution is essential. Somos’ RealNumber® DNO empowers providers with access to over 6 billion phone numbers that have been identified as a non-originating number. This comprehensive database includes:

• Over 28 million non-originating Toll-Free Numbers

• Over 6 billion non-originating local numbers

• Over 4 million subscriber set numbers

• Over 35 million Toll-Free Numbers for texting

• Industry Traceback Group (ITG) Number Set vetted and identified as numbers spoofed to facilitate illegal, fraudulent, or otherwise malicious traffic.

With RealNumber® DNO, service providers can:

• Identify and block fraudulent traffic before it reaches consumers

• Stay ahead of regulatory requirements with a trusted, industry-backed DNO solution

• Reduce operational risk by preventing illegal robocalls from impacting their networks

• Ensure that your data remains robust and reliable by using DNO Live, delivering up-to-the-minute changes to our DNO dataset