A proposed rule, meanwhile, would require providers to implement a caller ID authentication framework (SHAKEN/STIR) if large networks don't use it before the end of 2019. FCC officials are also looking for input on a safe harbor for carriers that block spoofed calls with hidden IDs.

The move comes just weeks after the Senate passed a bill allowing law enforcement to handle robocallers, and would dovetail with that measure's requirement for new FCC rules protecting people from unwanted calls and unfamiliar numbers.

Not everyone at the FCC is completely happy with this move. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel partly dissented, noting that there was nothing stopping carriers from charging extra to block robocalls. "Solutions should be free to consumers... full stop," she said. While telecoms won't necessarily use this as an excuse to raise rates, there's not much stopping them from doing so.