November 4, 2019
Combating Illegal Robocalls
We need solutions to the illegal robocall problem that will scale commensurate with the scourge. The plague affects hundreds of millions of telephone subscribers in the United States. But the bulk of the calls originate, on any given day, from a limited number of sources. First, this paper highlights what makes a robocall illegal. Second, it explains how an illegal robocall transmits through the telephony network. Third, it discusses how illegal robocalls can be identified by various technologies and the traceback processes. Finally, it provides a variety of mitigation techniques that can further reduce the illegal robocall problem.
Stopping illegal robocalls at the source is the most effective way to quickly and comprehensively reduce the volume of illegal robocall traffic directed towards American consumers.