FCC Licensing
FCC licensing is the federal authorization granted by the Federal Communications Commission that allows a company to operate as a telecommunications carrier in the United States. It provides direct control over telephony infrastructure, call routing, and regulatory compliance. For AI communications platforms, FCC licensing means owning the infrastructure rather than renting it, which translates to better call quality, lower costs, and stronger compliance guarantees.
What Is FCC Licensing?
FCC licensing is the regulatory certification that authorizes a company to operate telecommunications services within the United States. Licensed carriers have direct access to the public switched telephone network and can originate, route, and terminate calls on their own infrastructure. This is a significant distinction from platforms that lease capacity from third-party carriers. Plura operates as an FCC-licensed carrier, giving it end-to-end control over every call and text that flows through its compliance-grade infrastructure.
How FCC-Licensed Platforms Differ From Third-Party Dependent Platforms
Most AI voice and messaging platforms rely on providers like Twilio, Bandwidth, or Vonage to handle the telephony layer. This creates dependencies that affect cost, quality, and compliance control. FCC-licensed platforms operate differently:
- Direct carrier infrastructure eliminates third-party fees and reduces per-minute costs
- Full control over call attestation enables native STIR/SHAKEN signing and branded caller ID
- Lower latency because calls do not route through intermediary networks
- Complete compliance ownership with no reliance on third-party carriers for regulatory adherence
Why FCC Licensing Matters for Business Owners
When your AI calling platform rents infrastructure, you inherit the limitations and risks of that third party. If their compliance fails, yours fails. If their deliverability drops, your answer rates drop. FCC licensing means the platform you trust with your customer conversations actually owns and controls the pipes those conversations travel through. Does your current AI platform own its telephony infrastructure, or does it depend on Twilio or another intermediary? Have you experienced deliverability issues or unexpected cost increases tied to third-party carrier pricing? How important is it for your compliance team to audit the full call path from origination to termination?
How Plura Fits This Category
Plura is the only AI communications platform that operates as a fully FCC-licensed carrier, eliminating the third-party dependencies that limit competitors. Key advantages include:
- Carrier-grade infrastructure: Own telephony backbone for voice, SMS, and RCS with no intermediaries
- Native call attestation: STIR/SHAKEN A-level signing and branded caller ID handled entirely in-house
- Cost efficiency: Eliminating third-party carrier fees reduces per-interaction costs significantly
- Compliance control: Full audit trail from call origination to termination, meeting requirements for TCPA, HIPAA, and enterprise dialing regulations
FAQs related to
FCC Licensing
What is the difference between an FCC-licensed carrier and a platform that uses Twilio?
An FCC-licensed carrier owns and operates its own telephony infrastructure, giving it direct control over call routing, quality, and compliance. A platform using Twilio rents capacity from a third-party carrier, which adds cost, introduces latency, and limits control over call attestation and deliverability.
Does FCC licensing affect call quality for AI voice agents?
Yes. FCC-licensed platforms control the entire call path, which reduces latency and improves audio quality. This directly impacts ASR accuracy and the naturalness of AI voice conversations. When calls route through multiple intermediaries, audio degradation and delays can make AI agents sound less responsive.
How does FCC licensing improve compliance for outbound calling?
Licensed carriers have direct control over call attestation, STIR/SHAKEN signing, DNC scrubbing, and consent management at the infrastructure level. This eliminates the compliance gaps that arise when platforms depend on third parties to handle telephony regulations. Every call can be audited from origination to termination.
Is FCC licensing required to run AI calling campaigns?
Your business does not need its own FCC license, but the platform you use must either be licensed or lease capacity from a licensed carrier. The distinction matters because platforms with their own license have more control over deliverability, branding, and compliance than those renting from third parties.
Why do most AI voice platforms not have FCC licensing?
Obtaining and maintaining an FCC license requires significant investment in telephony infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and ongoing operational oversight. Most AI startups choose to build on top of existing carriers like Twilio to reduce upfront costs and time to market. The tradeoff is less control over call quality, attestation, and per-minute pricing.