US agency considers limits on telecom foreign call centers, requiring English proficiency

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Source: Reuters

March 4, 2026 5:41 PM EST Updated 11 hours ago


WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission said ​on Wednesday it is considering limits on U.S. telecom firms' ‌use of foreign call centers and requiring foreign-based customer service workers to be proficient in American Standard English.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the commission plans to ​vote this month on a proposal to require call takers at ​communications providers to be proficient in American Standard English, whether ⁠to impose limits on call volume from overseas call centers and whether ​to allow consumers to request to transfer calls to a U.S.-based ​location or to require providers to disclose the location of the call center.

Last week, the FCC approved Charter Communications' (CHTR.O) $34.5 billion acquisition of Cox Communications and said Charter will onshore ​all of the job functions currently handled offshore by Cox within ​18 months.

Carr noted that nearly 70% of U.S. businesses outsource at least one ‌department, ⁠including customer service and call center operations, to overseas locations. "As a result, too many Americans have struggled to resolve an issue with a representative due to cultural and language barriers," Carr said, adding foreign customer ​service centers "also raise ​concerns about ⁠protecting consumers' personal information."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-considers-limits-telecom-foreign-call-centers-requiring-english-2026-03-04/