Here’s the most effective idea yet to block robocalls
Finally, we may have a winner in the quest to stop annoying, fraudulent and unwanted phone calls. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission wants to give people the ability to block calls from all numbers except those contained in their phone’s contacts list.
Severely limiting incoming calls could protect elderly people who are targeted with phone scams, Chairman
Ajit Pai told reporters on a call
Wednesday morning.
“Imagine being able to set up a list of phone numbers that your grandmother or grandfather would receive calls from,” he said. “This would allow them to know that the calls they get are coming from trusted people: loved ones, their doctor, their pharmacy and the like.”
If carriers could pull that off, it certainly should stop our phones from ringing as often as they do with scams and other sleaze, and maybe even political campaign calls.
But if that becomes an option, don’t jump in unless you realize what you’re signing up for.
None of us has every phone number that we want to accept calls from in our contacts list.
We’d miss those calls. That could be a return call from a new physician or a call from company where you applied to work.
The big question I have is how those calls would be treated.
The FCC would expect that customers would be notified about blocked calls in some way, perhaps through voicemail or text messages, spokesman Will Wiquist told me.
As long as that would happen, the idea
seems to be a great one. You wouldn’t be bothered by unwanted calls, and you would be notified of legitimate calls that got snagged.
The FCC chairman envisions that as we delete and add numbers to our contacts list, our carrier’s call-blocking would adjust to the changes automatically. That would be a big help to people who rely solely on wireless phones, though those relying on landlines might be left behind, as options to save contacts aren’t always available on older landline phones.
That idea is part of a broader proposal by Pai to give phone companies the authority to block what they flag as unwanted calls by default, without customers having to sign up for that service.
Landline and wireless phone companies now offer some call-blocking options — but you often have to enroll in them. Some services are free and some carry a fee.
Pai encouraged carriers to offer callblocking for free as they develop new screening mechanisms. Part of his proposal would be a “safe harbor” to shield them from being sued for blocking calls.
The FCC commissioners are scheduled to vote on the plan June 6.
“Right now, many carriers let you know when a call is likely to be spam but they don’t block them automatically,” Pai said during testimony before a subcommittee of U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. “I want to make clear that carriers can implement call-blocking by default so long as consumers are given the option of opting out.”
That could reduce the plague of “spoofed” calls — those that show fake phone numbers on caller ID. Phone companies would be allowed to block calls they couldn’t authenticate. Carriers are starting to work together to identify spoofed calls that originate on one network and end on another.
Carriers would be free to develop their own analytics to determine which calls, including robocalls, to block. Third-party apps such as Nomorobo and RoboKiller already do this.
For all of this to work, phone companies would have to buy in.
USTelecom, the trade association representing telecommunications providers, innovators, suppliers and manufacturers, is on board.
“This is a big and bold proposal by the FCC that can bolster our industry’s cutting-edge call blocking and authentication efforts and do something important: stop unwanted calls from reaching consumers in the first place,” said Jonathan Spalter, the association’s president and CEO.
CTIA, the trade association representing the wireless communications industry, was more reserved in its response.
Scott Bergmann, senior vice president of regulatory affairs, issued a statement thanking Pai for his continued efforts to reduce illegal robocalls and said the wireless industry is committed to that fight as well.
I sure hope so, because the problem is getting worse.
During testimony before the House subcommittee Wednesday, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said 5 billion robocalls are placed each month, up from 2 billion a few years ago.
“That’s insane,” she said.
It’s also insane that we haven’t made more progress to stop those calls. The commissioners should approve Pai’s proposal when they vote on June 6. It has a lot of potential.
Columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall .com.