FCC Okays New Rules for Combatting Robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted its approval on a new set of regulations that should help in minimizing (or eliminating altogether) robocalls. According to the agency, it routinely gets more than 200,000 complains on a yearly basis regarding unwanted phone calls, which include those annoying robocalls. About eight years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had banned robocalls, but apparently, such calls still occur today.

The new rules recently approved by the FCC include some freedom for phone companies to make full use of proactive methods that block robocalls, or other phone calls that are likely to be scam calls, based on the phone numbers being used. It goes without saying that such means will be sort of challenging to actually execute. This is because there are other types of messages that might be misconstrued as fraudulent, even though they might be super important and super legal, like those that deliver weather updates, calls from public utilities and even academic institutions. These messages are often mistaken for robocalls because they take full advantage of automated call tech, the same tools used by spam callers.

Under the FCC’s new rules, phone companies are now fully authorized to block robocalls that seem to come from phone numbers that do not or can not make outgoing calls. These companies are free to block phone calls that appear to come a number included in a “do not originate” list by the number’s subscriber. On top of that, phone companies will also be allowed to block phone calls suspected to come from invalid numbers, whose characteristics include area codes that are not real, or those using a number that has not been assigned to a specific mobile operator, or those using a number reserved for a service provider but not being utilized right now.

As for perfectly legal calls, recommended companies by the FCC are establishing ways to identify those calls, and if ever they get blocked by mistake, there are easy procedures put in place to undo the error. Furthermore, 911 emergency phone calls are protected from being blocked by mobile operators.

Obviously, these new rules will not be enough to fully eradicate robocalls. The phone companies will also bear the responsibility of carrying out the new regulations in order for them to be really effective. Still, the FCC’s move to introduce new rules in place is a step in the right direction. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the agency, has promised that the new rules are only the beginning, and with time, more innovative solutions can be explored in trying to combat robocalls more efficiently.