Washington, May 3 -- Indian IT majors and industry bodies are growing increasingly worried about a proposed rule by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would restrict the use of offshore call centres by certain American companies - a move that could reshape one of the most significant sources of outsourcing revenue for companies that have made India the world's back office for American consumer businesses. The FCC proposed the rule on March 26, releasing it the following day, with a public comment period opening after its publication in the Federal Register. Comments are due by May 26, with reply comments due by June 22. The rule, framed by the FCC as a consumer protection and national security measure, floats three broad interventions: capping the share of customer service calls that US providers may route to foreign call centres; requiring workers at those centres to demonstrate proficiency in spoken and written American Standard English; and mandating that providers inform customers at the start of each call whether it is being handled outside the US - and offer to transfer it to a US-based representative on request. The FCC has floated 30% as one benchmark for the call volume cap, but has left the figure open for comment; the proposed rule text carries a placeholder rather than a fixed percentage. The agency has also proposed that calls involving sensitive information - passwords, social security numbers, bank account or credit card details - be handled exclusively by US-based representatives, regardless of any cap applied to general call volumes. Industry bodies and IT majors are now preparing to contest the proposals through the public comments process, according to people aware of the matter who spoke to HT. NASSCOM, the Indian technology industry's primary lobbying body, has confirmed it will submit comments and seek direct engagement with the FCC and relevant stakeholders. "We are looking at a positive contribution through an engagement to allay apprehensions. All of us have been given an opportunity to contribute through a submission, which is the first stage, and we will do that. Following that, we will have an engagement with relevant players to highlight areas where we can contribute and allay apprehensions," said Shivendra Singh, vice president and head of global trade development at NASSCOM. NASSCOM's core argument will challenge the FCC's framing of offshore call centres as a security risk. Singh said the distinction the agency should draw is between trusted providers and bad actors - not between onshore and offshore operations. "Offshore operations should not be equated with high risk. The distinction should be between trusted providers and bad actors. Overly broad restrictions risk unintended consequences, including higher prices and reduced service quality. The focus should be more on anti-fraud measures and this is something we are very keen to work on and support," he said. Singh added that NASSCOM and Indian IT companies would propose concrete alternatives, including the creation of a trusted offshore provider registry and enhanced call authentication frameworks....