FCC Targets Robocalls Anew
As part of its strategy to stop unwanted and illegal robocalls, the FCC is opening an inquiry into the way that providers reassign phone numbers and how they can help prevent customers from receiving robocalls intended for other people. The problem arises when one customer gives up a phone number, whether it’s a landline or […]
FCC Proposes Massive $120M Fine in Robocall Scheme
The FCC has proposed a $120 million fine for a Florida man who the commission alleges made nearly 100 million illegal robocalls in a three-month period, some of which hit a paging network used by hospitals, EMTs, and doctors, disrupting its service. The investigation into the robocall operation began last year after the FCC received a […]
Ringless Voicemails May Become the New Robocalls
Federal regulators are working on various methods to block robocalls, both to landlines and to mobile phones, with varying degrees of success. As those technologies make their way into the marketplace, some companies now are looking for clearance from the FCC to deliver their messages directly to customers’ voicemails without ringing their phones. The commission is considering […]
Most Commercial Robotexts Illegal, FCC Warns
The FCC is warning consumers, as well as marketers, that robotexts sent by autodialers to mobile phones are illegal and the commission says it will be cracking down on the practice. Robotexts are the younger cousin of the robocalls that have been plaguing consumers and businesses for a long time. Whereas robocalls typically are made […]
Political Robocalls Focus on Florida as Election Nears
As election day draws closer, both the Trump and Clinton campaigns have been increasing their robocall efforts as they try to sway voters in key states, especially Florida. The vast majority of calls mentioning either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton have been made to numbers in Florida in the last month, as both candidates work […]
Carriers Plan to Implement Do Not Originate List to Defeat Robocalls
An industry-led strike force is preparing to take away one of the most valuable pieces of technology used by phone scammers: caller ID spoofing. The Robocall Strike Force, convened by the FCC and comprising wired and wireline telecom companies, has been working since August on a handful of new technologies, standards, and other techniques to […]
Judge Rules Political Robocalls Are Legal
A federal judge has ruled that robocalls made on behalf of political candidates are protected by the First Amendment and cannot be outlawed. The decision came in a case in Arkansas, where political robocalls had been illegal for more than 30 years. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Leon Holmes ruled that banning political robocalls amounts to […]