Written by: Matt Beucler, CEO, Plura AI
Key Takeaways
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The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495) remains pending in Congress and has not been enacted as of May 2026.
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A parallel FCC NPRM under CG Docket No. 26-52 proposes caps on offshore calls, mandatory disclosures, and consumer transfer rights, but is not yet final.
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Five states already enforce laws that restrict offshore handling of consumer, medical, or financial data.
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Using 100% U.S. infrastructure is one structural approach that reduces exposure under the current regulatory direction.
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Plura AI delivers an FCC-licensed platform on 100% U.S. infrastructure, and you can talk to Plura today to see how it can support your compliance strategy.
How the Keep Call Centers in America Act Works
The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 (S.2495) is bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV).2 Its stated purpose is to increase transparency and accountability for employers that relocate call center operations outside the United States.
The bill targets businesses that offshore call center work. It would create a public Department of Labor list of companies that offshore call center work, modeled after the existing WARN database. Listings would remain active for five years unless the jobs return to the United States. Companies on that list would become ineligible for new federal grants or guaranteed loans, and existing awards could face monthly penalties and possible cancellation after one year.
The bill would also require that any call center work performed under federal contracts be carried out inside the United States. Federal agencies would be directed to prioritize contracting with companies that keep call centers domestic. Employers would need to give the Department of Labor at least 120 days of notice before relocating call center operations overseas. Annual compliance certification would go to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and violations would be treated under the FTC Act.
On the consumer-facing side, the bill would require customer service agents to disclose their physical location and whether artificial intelligence is involved in the interaction. Customers could request transfer to a U.S.-based human agent.
Current Status of the Keep Call Centers in America Act
S.2495 has not passed. Introduction and enactment are distinct stages of the legislative process. S.2495 was introduced in 2025 and, as of March 2026, remained a bipartisan legislative effort pending in Congress without being enacted into law. As of May 2026, no subsequent enactment has occurred. The bill’s provisions would take effect after enactment if passed, so no obligations under S.2495 are currently in force.
Contact center leaders and compliance officers tracking this bill should consult Congress.gov directly for real-time status updates and qualified legal counsel for guidance on their specific obligations.
Operational Impact If S.2495 Is Enacted
If enacted, S.2495 would create a federal framework with four operational layers for covered employers. The first layer is disclosure and tracking. The Department of Labor would publish and maintain a public list of firms that have offshored customer support.
The second layer is federal contracting. Offshore call center work would be prohibited under federal contracts. The third layer is financial consequences. Listed firms would lose eligibility for new federal grants and guaranteed loans, and existing awards could be at risk.
The fourth layer is consumer rights. Agents would disclose location and AI involvement, and customers could request transfer to a U.S.-based human agent.
The bill also directs the Department of Labor to report on the extent and location of federal call center work and to track job displacement tied to AI usage. BLS data projects a 5% decline for customer service representatives through 2033 due to AI, with no specific projection of 150,000 call center jobs lost.3
Federal NPRM and State Onshoring Rules
S.2495 sits alongside a federal rulemaking and five state laws that already shape the compliance landscape for operators using offshore or foreign-infrastructure vendors.
FCC NPRM, CG Docket No. 26-52. The Federal Communications Commission adopted an NPRM on March 26, 2026, released it on March 27, 2026, and published it in the Federal Register on April 23, 2026, under the title “Improving Customer Service and Protecting Consumers Through Onshoring” (FCC 26-16). Comments were due May 26, 2026. This is a proposed rulemaking, not a final rule.
The NPRM proposes a cap on the share of customer service calls that covered providers can route to foreign call centers. It seeks comment on whether that cap should phase down over time. It also proposes English proficiency standards for offshore staff, mandatory disclosure at the start of each call that it is being handled outside the United States, and a consumer right to transfer to a U.S.-based agent. The NPRM proposes restricting covered providers’ use of foreign call centers for sensitive consumer interactions while seeking comment on extending rules to non-voice channels. The FCC NPRM proposes encouraging onshoring of call centers, English-proficiency standards for foreign centers, and robocall-deterrence mechanisms, without prohibiting centers in nations listed under 15 CFR § 791.4.
The NPRM applies to providers of telecommunications services, commercial mobile radio service (CMRS), interconnected VoIP, cable television, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services, and their affiliates. The FCC is seeking comment on extending coverage to non-interconnected VoIP, internet-only providers, and TCPA-covered foreign-originated calls and texts.
State laws. Five states have enacted laws that already restrict offshore handling of consumer, medical, or financial data:2
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New York: The Call Center Jobs Act requires employers to notify the state before relocating call center operations and imposes penalties up to $10,000 per day for non-compliance.
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New Jersey: New Jersey has enacted a statute with notification and penalty provisions related to call center operations.
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Connecticut: The Connecticut General Assembly has enacted state-contract bans that restrict offshore handling of data under state contracts.
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Missouri: An executive order from the Missouri Office of Administration requires offshore disclosure for state-related call center work.
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Florida: Florida statutes address the confidentiality of medical information.
Operators with contracts in these states should review their vendor arrangements with qualified legal counsel.
Implications for Contact Center and CX Leaders
The regulatory direction is consistent. Federal and state rules are moving toward onshoring requirements, offshore volume caps, and sensitive-data restrictions that apply across voice, SMS, text, and chat channels. The FCC NPRM is not yet final, and S.2495 is not yet law, but the compliance exposure from existing state laws is current and active.
For operators evaluating infrastructure choices, 100% U.S. infrastructure is one structural approach that reduces exposure under this regulatory direction without waiting for final rules. Plura AI is an FCC-licensed platform that runs AI agents for voice, SMS, RCS (Rich Communication Services), and webchat on 100% U.S. infrastructure. Voice origination, model hosting, data storage, and call recording all sit on domestic infrastructure. Plura clients can report “100% U.S.-handled” in their broadband consumer label disclosures.
Plura supports compliance with TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), DNC (Do Not Call) registries, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), SOC 2, and GDPR.1,2 It provides real-time DNC scrubbing on every outbound contact, immutable consent records, STIR/SHAKEN caller ID verification, and more than 50 state rule sets enforced by default. Customers remain responsible for their own regulatory obligations and certifications.
The cost case is also direct. Plura’s total cost of ownership runs $300,000 to $700,000 per year. That range replaces a traditional contact-center cost structure of $4 million to $7 million on equivalent volume, with no offshore exposure under the FCC NPRM, state onshoring laws, or sensitive-data restrictions.3
See detailed pricing and plan options at plura.ai/pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new call center law?
There is no single enacted federal “call center law” as of May 2026. The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495) is a pending bill that has not been signed into law. The FCC’s NPRM under CG Docket No. 26-52, discussed above, is a proposed rulemaking and is not yet a final rule. Five states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, and Florida, have enacted their own laws that restrict offshore call center operations or sensitive-data handling. Operators should consult qualified legal counsel to assess their obligations under existing state statutes.
What is the Keep Call Centers in America Act bill?
The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495) is a bipartisan Senate bill introduced in 2025 that would require employers to notify the Department of Labor at least 120 days before relocating call center operations offshore. It would create a public Department of Labor list of companies that offshore call center work, make listed companies ineligible for new federal grants and guaranteed loans, prohibit offshore call center work under federal contracts, and require agents to disclose their location and whether AI is involved in the interaction. As noted earlier, the bill has not been enacted and no obligations under it are currently in force.
What is S.2495 status in May 2026?
As noted above, S.2495 remains pending in Congress as of May 2026 with no enactment. For real-time legislative status, consult Congress.gov directly.
Does the FCC NPRM apply to my business?
The FCC NPRM under CG Docket No. 26-52 proposes rules that would apply to providers of telecommunications services, CMRS, interconnected VoIP, cable television, and DBS services, and their affiliates. The FCC is seeking comment on whether to extend coverage to non-interconnected VoIP providers, internet-only providers, and TCPA-covered foreign-originated calls and texts. The NPRM is not a final rule. Whether your business falls within the proposed scope is a legal question that requires review by qualified counsel familiar with your specific operations.
What does 100% U.S. infrastructure mean in practice for call center operators?
For operators evaluating vendor risk under the FCC NPRM and existing state laws, 100% U.S. infrastructure means that voice origination, AI model hosting, data storage, and call recording all sit on domestic servers and carrier infrastructure, with no foreign-infrastructure dependencies. This is a structural characteristic of the platform, not a contractual promise layered on top of foreign infrastructure. Plura operates as an FCC-licensed carrier with all processing on U.S. infrastructure, which means clients can accurately report domestic handling in broadband consumer label disclosures. Operators should still consult legal counsel to confirm how their full vendor stack maps to applicable regulations.
Conclusion
The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495) is not law as of May 2026. The FCC NPRM under CG Docket No. 26-52 is a proposed rulemaking, not a final rule. Five states have enacted laws that currently restrict offshore call center operations and sensitive-data handling. Across these instruments, the stated policy direction is consistent. Onshoring requirements, offshore volume caps, and sensitive-data restrictions are central themes at both the federal and state levels.
Operators that evaluate infrastructure choices now, rather than after final rules are published, retain more options. The infrastructure approach described above, which is 100% U.S.-based, FCC-licensed, and built with regulatory support in mind, aligns with the direction of these rules without waiting for the regulatory calendar to force the decision.
Review infrastructure options and pricing at plura.ai/pricing.
1 Plura AI maintains SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, and GDPR posture as part of its platform infrastructure. References to compliance frameworks in this article describe Plura’s platform capabilities and do not constitute a guarantee that any customer using Plura will themselves be compliant with applicable laws or standards. Customers remain solely responsible for their own regulatory obligations, certifications, consent management, recordkeeping, and the claims they make to their own end users. Consult qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to your use case.
2 This article describes regulatory frameworks at a general level and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction, change over time, and apply differently depending on facts and circumstances. Readers should consult qualified legal counsel before making compliance decisions.
3 Performance figures, customer outcomes, and industry statistics referenced in this article are drawn from cited third-party sources or Plura customer case studies. Individual results vary based on implementation, use case, industry, audience, and execution. Past or aggregate performance is not a guarantee of future results.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and reflects Plura AI’s understanding at the time of publication. Product capabilities, integrations, and specifications are subject to change. For the most current information, visit plura.ai.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by Plura AI prior to publication.