Politics & Government
FCC Asks Telecoms For Robocall Help; AG Hunter Welcomes Move
Companies will be asked but not required to provide blocking; still allowed to charge as a premium service
Oklahoma City – At its most recent meeting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) agreed a measure aimed toward combating the continued rise in robocalling, a decision that Oklahoma’s Attorney General has welcomed.
The new rule 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 premium charges 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.
Find out what's happening in Tulsafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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.
Find out what's happening in Tulsafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"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