FCC May Permit Robocalls To Cell Phones -- If They Are Calling a Wrong Number

An anonymous reader writes There have been plenty of false rumors about cell phones being opened up to telemarketers, but now the FCC is actually considering it. From the article: "Consumers have long had the support of government to try to control these calls, chiefly through the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which actually allows consumers to file lawsuits and collect penalties from companies that pepper them with robocalls or text messages they didn't agree to receive. But now the Federal Communications Commission is considering relaxing a key rule and allowing businesses to call or text your cellphones without authorization if they say they called a wrong number. The banking industry and collections industry are pushing for the change." In one case recently, AT&T called one person 53 times after he told them they had a wrong number...and ended up paying $45 million to settle the case. Around 40 million phone numbers are "recycled" each year in the U.S. Twice, I've had to dump a number and get a new one because I was getting so many debt collection calls looking for someone else. Apparently the FCC commissioners may not be aware of the magnitude of the "wrong number" debt collection calls and aren't aware that lots of people still have per-minute phone plans. Anyone can file comments on this proposal with the FCC.

Comments

Once

[Nemyst]

I have no issue with them being able to call me without legal repercussions... once. After that, it's their job to update their robocall lists. I've informed them that they no longer have the correct number. Any further "mistakes" should be fully punishable.

Re:Once

[Anonymous Coward]

Result of your request:

800-555-1212 -- Nemyst -- Confirmed quality number with confirmed name, removed from our call database -- Placed on working number selling list

Re:Time to abandon normal phones?

[BarbaraHudson]

Maybe it's time they fixed the phone system so that telemarketing scammers from Pakistan and India can't hide behind a North American phone number.

Maybe it's time they fixed the phone system so that telemarketing scammers in North America have to show their real number.

Maybe it's time to shut down all number spoofing systems.

Robocalls to my cellphone: 'Ineffective'

[kheldan]

I don't answer calls from numbers I don't recognize anyway, and I recommend everyone else do the same.

Re:Time to abandon normal phones?

[anarcobra]

Maybe it's time for phone companies to allow white lists for who can call a number.

Is this a US only problem?

[johanw]

I mean, in Europe you don't pay if someone else calls you. So there is a common trick if some salesperson calls you "oh, one moment please", put the phone somewhere and check 30 minutes later if they are still on the line (usually not). Costs them money and time, not you.

And on mobile phones you have programs to block numbers from phoning and smsing. Much easier than regulations.

Re:Time to abandon normal phones?

[Greyfox]

I run some software on my android phone that sends calls with numbers not in my contacts list straight to voicemail. If they're important enough, I'll call 'em back. Most of the time they're some very-low-quality recruiter or the newspaper asking me to pay to have them litter in my driveway.

Back in the ol' Landline days, I ran a SIP gateway that went to an asterisk system. It would always ask you to press 1 if you weren't a telemarketer and 2 if you were. Option 2 would politely tell you to fuck off. I never got a telemarketing call after that. I'm guessing the VRU confused most of the robo-calling software they used. After a while I got fancy with it and installed SIP software on the cellphone I was using at the time. So if my phone connected up with the wireless network, it would register with the asterisk server and the asterisk server would ring the phone. If the phone was not available because I was away from the house, calls would go straight to voicemail. If you were on a whitelist, the asterisk system would ask you to hold on and then dial out over VOIP and connect the call to my cell phone. The software on my phone now works pretty well but I miss the power I had with Asterisk.