Politics & Government
AG Commends FCC For Encouraging Robocall Block
Companies still not required to block robocalls; still allowed to charge blocking as a premium service
Oklahoma City - Attorney General Mike Hunter has applauded Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai and the members of the commission for passing a measure to combat robocalls.
The new rule allows and encourages phone companies to block robocalls by default. The companies must first inform customers and give them the opportunity to opt out of having the calls blocked.
However although many phone companies already offer call blocking technology on an opt-in basis, customers have to ask for the service and often must pay for it. The FCC’s new rule does not change that dynamic. Whilst the FCC now ‘encourages’ companies to offer the service, they are not required to do so. Similarly, although the FCC ‘hopes’ the companies will not charge customers for the service, the rule does not forbid them from so doing, nor does it limit the amount the companies can charge.
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Still, Attorney General Hunter said the new rule is an important first step toward combating robocalls.
“When I met with FCC Chairman Pai last month, one of our main topics of discussion was how to better combat robocalls in order to protect consumers,” Attorney General Hunter said via a written release. “This rule is a decisive response that will give consumers more peace of mind to allow them to more confidently answer the phone without the fear of having their personal information or money stolen. I commend Chairman Pai and the commission for putting consumers first and making this a top priority.
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“Although giving phone companies this new tool to help protect consumers, more must be done. That is why Chairman Pai, my attorneys general colleagues and I encourage congress to take action on the TRACED Act.”
According to the call-blocking company YouMail, last month alone, Oklahomans received more than 56 million robocalls at a rate of over 75,000 per hour.
Commission members also adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require service providers to implement a caller ID authentication framework, if the companies fail to do so by the end of the year.
Further information on the FCC meeting can be found here: https://bit.ly/2KABlRM