Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition of 49 other attorneys general submitted comments to the FCC urging stronger Know Your Customer (KYC) rules to prevent illegal robocalls. The coalition recommends requiring originating voice service providers to understand customers' business practices, apply KYC standards to all providers regardless of size, and collect additional information on high-risk customers. The action is part of Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup.
In-house legal teams should review agreements with voice service providers, particularly originating providers, to ensure they include robust Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations. Key clauses to examine: network access agreements, service level agreements, and terms of service that require providers to verify customer identity, business purpose, and compliance with telemarketing laws. Contracts should also include provisions for suspending or terminating service for illegal robocall activity, and require providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN call authentication. Additionally, review vendor due diligence procedures to ensure high-risk customers are subject to enhanced monitoring.
Entity
Various Voice Service Providers (target of proposed rules)
Industry
TelecommunicationsOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2026-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-pushes-to-strengthen-know-your-customer-rules-to-combat-illegal-robocalls
reply comments of 50 state ags re fccs 2026 kyc fnprm july 2
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/reply-comments-of-50-state-ags-re-fccs-2026-kyc-fnprm-july-2026.pdf?rev=e5fbfedb163e426abedec1feeac82d30&hash=1BD29D237A2A66A28076E9F2E6EF178C
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
"Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition 49 other attorneys general"
"The current safeguards against illegal robocalls are not strong enough. Bad actors continue to exploit gaps in the system and scam families out of money. The FCC needs to strengthen its Know Your Customer rules to ensure phone companies keep scammers off their networks and better protect the public."
"Attorney General Tong is joined in signing the letter by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia , Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming."
"https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/reply-comments-of-50-state-ags-re-fccs-2026-kyc-fnprm-july-2026.pdf?rev=e5fbfedb163e426abedec1feeac82d30&hash=1BD29D237A2A66A28076E9F2E6EF178C"
"Americans received more than 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts and lost nearly $2 billion to these scams."
$625K
Connecticut reached a $625,000 settlement with Frontier Communications Parent Inc. over an April 2024 breach in which compromised employee and vendor credentials were used to access internal systems and exfiltrate unencrypted personal information of 58,841 Connecticut residents. The settlement requires Frontier to strengthen its security program, implement specific safeguards and training, and obtain an independent third-party assessment.
$2.6M
Connecticut and New York found that Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its security vendor, XTIUM, failed to use reasonable safeguards, resulting in hackers accessing sensitive personal, medical, and employee information. The companies agreed to pay penalties totaling $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
Connecticut joined a coalition of state attorneys general filing a notice in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings, raising concerns about the company’s safety and privacy practices and the sensitive information it holds. The states seek protections for children and consumers if the company’s business or assets are sold or transferred; the filing does not impose a fine or other remedy.
Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman petitioned PURA to review how Connecticut public utilities use artificial intelligence, citing potential data privacy and cybersecurity risks, algorithmic errors, and misleading outputs. The petition asks PURA to examine utility AI systems, safeguards, vendors, and data security practices; it does not report a finding of violation or an imposed penalty.
$2.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with RZ Smoke, Inc. over allegations that it distributed and sold high-potency cannabis products without a state license. The stipulated judgment is $2 million, with $375,000 payable to the State and $1.6 million suspended to ensure compliance; the company is barred from specified cannabis activities in Connecticut unless licensed.
$13.7M
Connecticut joined a coalition of states and the federal government in settling allegations that Takeda paid healthcare providers speaker honoraria and provided meals to induce prescriptions of Trintellix, leading to allegedly false claims to government healthcare programs. Takeda agreed to pay $13,670,921 plus accrued interest, with portions allocated to federal and state programs.