Missouri Joins 48 States Urging Tougher Robocall Rules

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and 48 other attorneys general ask the FCC to strengthen its Robocall Mitigation Database.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Telecommunications

Missouri Joins 48 States Urging Tougher Robocall Rules

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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and 48 other attorneys general urged the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen its Robocall Mitigation Database. Truecaller reported that Missourians received more than 58 million spam calls last month.

Why it matters

Hanaway described unwanted calls as the number one complaint her office receives, and the database is meant to keep illegal robocall providers off the nation's phone networks. Missouri ranked 10th nationally for spam calls, according to Truecaller.

Truecaller's monthly estimate puts Missouri at more than 58 million spam calls, 10th nationally, compared with about 25 million in Arkansas. The attorneys general asked the FCC for tougher verification and transparency, but the report does not say how quickly the agency will respond or how the changes would be measured.

The players

Catherine Hanaway

Catherine Hanaway is the Missouri Attorney General, leading the state's consumer protection work and its No Call Unit.

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is the U.S. agency that regulates interstate and international communications, including telephone robocall rules.

Truecaller

Truecaller is a caller identification and spam-blocking app that publishes call-volume estimates by state.

The details

The attorneys general asked the FCC for tougher verification and greater transparency to identify suspicious providers. Automated callers have repeatedly reached businesses such as a Springfield restaurant, which receives 50 to 100 unwanted calls a day and has been fooled into believing automated callers were customers.

Timeline

  1. Last month (October 2026): Missourians received more than 58 million spam calls, according to Truecaller.

  2. November 10, 2026: Attorneys general urged the FCC to strengthen the Robocall Mitigation Database.

Roadmap

The attorneys general are pressing the FCC to tighten its Robocall Mitigation Database, the federal filing system that keeps illegal robocall providers off U.S. phone networks. Hanaway anticipates an agreement under which legitimate numbers could block numbers unknown to the network.

Missourians can report unwanted calls to the attorney general's No Call Unit at 866-289-9633. Tougher verification of providers could reduce how many spam calls reach personal and business phones, though the timing of any change is not yet known.

The takeaway

Reporting unwanted calls to state regulators adds to the data that agencies use to act against illegal robocall providers. Keeping a record of when and where spam arrives can help support future enforcement.

Further reading

For more on how carriers and regulators manage unwanted calls, see Telecommunications coverage.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Ky3.

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Do you feel unwanted robocalls have increased in your area recently?