FCC Commissioners to CAC: More Work Remains on AI

The FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee, which will have a special focus on AI, held its first meeting under its new charter Thursday at FCC headquarters. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC eagerly awaits the group’s work on AI and robocalls. The group also heard reports from FCC staff about several consumer issues before the agency, including the affordable connectivity program's demise (see 2404020075). CAC last met in August (see 2208300059).

“This CAC's biggest job will be focusing on the biggest topic of them all -- artificial intelligence,” Rosenworcel said in prerecorded remarks. “We've already done a lot of the groundwork so you guys can get a running start.” In February, FCC commissioners quickly approved a declaratory ruling prohibiting voice-cloning technology in robocall scams (see 2402080052), Rosenworcel noted. “That's a good start, but we recognize there is so much more to do.”

That's why the commission asked that the CAC create working groups and issue a report about the uses of AI in calls and texts, Rosenworcel said. The FCC wants to hear about how it can prevent bad actors from using AI. Moreover, it wants input about ways AI can protect consumers and “ensure that people with disabilities can still use AI technologies they need to make calls and send texts,” she said.

Past CAC work has been important “from illegal robocalls to illegal texts, to looking at issues with ACP,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. He called for a balanced approach on AI.

It's a new technology and “there could be an impulse to overregulate [AI], to take too heavy-handed of an approach early on, which I think would be a mistake,” Carr said. But “having no guardrails” is also “not the right path forward -- we have to find a balanced approach that avoids having no guardrails at all but doesn't go too far,” he said. Carr also encouraged work on “ACP wind-down,” building on what the FCC is already doing. “It’s coming up very fast,” he said.

“AI is a whole-of-government issue,” said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks: “We need to consider its implementation across sectors. We need to harness its promise and protect against its malicious uses.”

FCC commissioners approved 5-0 in November an open-ended notice of inquiry asking how AI can fight robocalls and potential risks from the technology (see 2311150042).

AI is cutting-edge technology, robocalls are “not so cutting edge,” said Alejandro Roark, chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. A CAC recommendation “carries tremendous weight because it not only represents your perspective, but the perspectives and the lived experiences of the communities you serve,” he said.

ACP, “the largest affordability program in our nation’s history, is on the brink of shutting down due to lack of funding from Congress,” said Lyle Ishida, chief of the bureau’s Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division. One in six households in the U.S. has benefited from the program, she noted. Millions of households nationwide “are at risk of losing essential internet access,” she said: A recent survey found that 77% of households say losing their ACP benefit means they will either see disrupted service or drop internet service entirely.

Ishida said the FCC has done what it could, working with the Universal Service Administrative Co. and providers, to make consumers aware of the ACP cut off. Providers were required to send three notices to consumers, the first in January and the third with April bills, warning of the program’s demise, she said.

Much of the meeting's discussion focused on planning its work on AI and robocalls and texts. Several members said, with limited time, CAC must be focused. It should address “what it is we don’t know about AI, what is coming up, to make sure that we’re kind of ahead of the technology,” said Tina Metzer, co-founder of the National Center for Research Development.

CAC should consider whether to separate discussions on robocalls and robotexts into two working groups, said Linda Vandeloop, AT&T assistant vice president-external affairs/regulatory. They involve “different networks and probably require different solutions,” she said. CAC is expected to meet next in late June.