Published: July 2019

It’s time for swift action on robocalls

In comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), advocates call for more effective robocall protections by default. Advocates urge the FCC to redouble its efforts against the scourge of unwanted calls by implementing stronger legal protections, holding phone companies accountable for their customers and using technology to intercept scam calls before they enter the phone system.

Despite the recent steps the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken to address harmful calls, more can be done. Fully addressing the robocalls problem will require a multi-pronged effort. For too long, scammers and others have been able to hide behind caller ID spoofing in order to inundate consumers with unwanted and harmful calls without penalty. With the appropriate policies—including strong legal protections, holding phone companies and gateway providers accountable for knowing their customers, limiting the bad traffic before it enters the system, verifying caller ID information, and appropriate screening and other mitigation techniques to intercept other unwanted traffic—consumers will finally have meaningful control over the calls they receive.

Lead Organization

Consumer Reports

Other Organizations

Consumer Reports | National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | National Association of Consumer Advocates | Public Knowledge

More Information

For more information, please visit Consumer Reports.

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It’s time for swift action on robocalls   (FCCRobocalls.pdf)