March 23, 2017
Background: The FCC today adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry to explore ways to make it easier for telecommunications carriers to block robocalls calls, including spoofed calls, which fake the caller ID number to hide a caller’s real identity.
The following statement is from USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter:
Customers are justifiably frustrated with annoying robocalls which interrupt their day. The FCC’s proposal to allow carriers to more easily block some robocalls from certain numbers is a positive step forward in this ongoing fight. Our members are waging a daily battle to stop scammers from using these calls to reach subscribers and this will be a valuable tool to protect our customers. Through the industry-led Robocall Strike Force, broadband providers are taking a holistic approach to this fight which requires assistance from a broad range of stakeholders, including voice service providers, software developers, standards organizations, consumer groups and government. This is an important proceeding and USTelecom and our members stand ready to continue our longstanding work with the FCC and other stakeholders on this issue.”