If you’re tired of “your car’s extended warranty” calls, the FCC has a plan — and it lands squarely on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed strengthening what it calls “Know-Your-Customer” (KYC) rules — the standards carriers use to verify who’s actually signing up for cell service. Right now, the bar is low. The Commission wants to raise it, with the goal of stopping scammers before they can ever activate a line.
What carriers would have to do
Under the proposal, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon would be required to perform stricter screening on both new and renewing customers. The Commission is weighing requirements to verify:
- Customer name
- Address
- Government-issued ID
- An alternative phone number
If a customer can’t satisfy those checks, service simply wouldn’t be activated. The point is to cut off bad actors at the source — preventing scammers from ever getting a SIM in the first place.
Why this is a shift
Carriers are already required to keep their networks clear of illegal calls. The problem is enforcement has been lenient, and scammers have exploited the gap. By the time a fraudulent call lands on your phone, the trail back to whoever activated the line is usually cold. Stronger KYC pushes accountability upstream — to the moment a new account is opened.
The teeth: per-call fines
The proposal also adds per-call penalties for carriers that violate KYC rules. The more scam traffic that originates on your network, the bigger the bill. That’s the FCC’s way of making vetting cheaper than ignoring the problem.
“Today’s item also bolsters our KYC enforcement by proposing per-call penalties. By tying fines directly to the harm caused, we are also helping to incentivize better vetting by originating providers.” — Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman, April 2026
What it means for you
For most customers, this is good news with a small asterisk. You should see fewer scam calls over time as carriers tighten the front door. But the next time you sign up for a new line — or port your number — expect to hand over more documentation than you used to. If you don’t have a standard government ID on hand, or you’re activating a line for a family member, plan for extra steps at the kiosk or checkout.
The proposal still has to clear a comment period before any of this becomes binding, and the final verification requirements could look different from what’s on the table now.
Last Updated on May 9, 2026
