July 20, 2026
(Washington, D.C.) – Today USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter joined leaders from AT&T, Lumen, Uniti, T-Mobile, and Verizon to discuss the communications industry’s commitment to protecting consumers from phone scams at a working group meeting convened by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The meeting at the Department of Treasury also featured FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, and Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman.
Below is a comment from Jonathan Spalter:
“Scammers don’t care whose day they ruin: grandparents, small business owners, anyone just trying to answer their phone without getting hustled. That’s why America’s communications sector is on offense. Through USTelecom’s Industry Traceback Group, the FCC’s officially recognized industry traceback consortium, hundreds of our companies work hand-in-glove with the FCC, law enforcement, and critical partners such as banks and retailers to trace illegal robocalls and texts back to their source, fast.
“Today’s meeting at the Department of Treasury is proof positive that our nation’s broadband providers – working alongside our government partners – are committed to keeping Americans safe. And we’re not resting on our laurels. Cutting scammers off takes an all-hands-on-deck effort: carriers, policymakers, law enforcement, banks, retailers, and consumers all rowing in the same direction. That’s the coalition the ITG has built, and it’s how we’re going to keep making scammers’ lives harder, and everyone else’s a lot safer.
“Our thanks to AT&T’s John Stankey, Lumen’s Jim Fowler, T-Mobile’s Srini Gopalan, Uniti’s Paul Bullington, and Verizon’s Dan Schulman for being vital voices at today’s working group meeting. And our gratitude to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, and Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman for their leadership, vigilance, and partnership as we together put scammers on notice: We will find you. And we will stop you.”