FCC Approved Plan To Allow Telecom Companies To Block Robocalls

Last week, commissioners at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to allow telecommunications companies to block automated phone calls, known as robocalls, by scammers.

Unwanted calls, including illegal robocalls, are a leading complaint by consumers. Some experts estimated that consumers in the United States received about 2.4 billion robocalls per month during 2016. Many tools make it cheap and easy to make for scammers to both make robocalls and to "spoof" -- or hide -- the caller’s true identity (e.g.,, Caller ID information). The robocalls usually try to trick consumers into revealing sensitive personal and financial information.

The FCC announcement stated that the agency:

"... approved new rules to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls, allowing phone companies to proactively block calls that are likely to be fraudulent because they come from certain types of phone numbers... For example, perpetrators have used IRS phone numbers that don’t dial out to impersonate the tax agency, informing the people who answer that they are calling to collect money owed to the U.S. government. Such calls appear to be legitimate to those who receive them and can result in fraud or identity theft.

To combat these scams, the new rules approved today expressly authorize voice service providers to block robocalls that appear to be from telephone numbers that do not or cannot make outgoing calls... [telecommunications companies] will be allowed to block calls purporting to be from a phone number placed on a “do not originate” list by the number’s subscriber. They will also be allowed to block calls purporting to be from invalid numbers, like those with area codes that don’t exist..."

Neighbor spoofing is a huge problem and part of the robocall fraud. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai released a statement, which said:

"... the FCC’s top consumer protection priority is aggressively pursuing the scourge of illegal robocalls.  This Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is one more step toward fulfilling that commitment... It is important to stress that today’s action is deregulatory in nature. We aren’t piling more rules upon industry. Instead, we’re providing relief from FCC rules that are having the perverse effect of facilitating unlawful and unwanted robocalls."

Pai's statement failed to mention exactly which rules facilitated unlawful and unwanted robocalls. President Trump appointed Pai as FCC Chairman in January.

While this latest FCC action will somewhat help consumers, it won't stop all robocalls. Why? Consumer Reports explained:

"... that only a small percentage of the calls will end up being blocked. David Frankel, a California-based telecommunications professional who has taken up the fight against robocalls, says his analysis of 3.5 million robocall complaints to the Federal Trade Commission shows that the new rules would block only 10 percent of robocalls, at best. And that would probably last for only a short period, he says, as robocallers no doubt change the techniques they use."

Commissioner Clyburn's comments acknowledged the limitations in her comments accompanying the FCC's announcement. Kudos to the agency for trying to help consumers. Hopefully, the FCC will do more for consumers especially since the agency under Chairman Pai's leadership has already hurt consumers by revoking broadband privacy rules, lowering broadband standards, and by moving to overturn net neutrality protections for consumers.

A final FCC vote to kill net neutrality is expected on December 14. Consumers want to decide how to use their high-speed internet connections to visit the sites they want to visit. Killing net neutrality would prevent this and allow internet service providers to create higher-cost "fast lanes" to some websites with "paid prioritization." That would be great for telecommunications companies' profits and bad for consumers with price increases; and internet bills as complicated and convoluted as cable TV bills.

Chairman Pai seems intent upon pleasing his corporate overlords while doing little to help consumers.

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