The FCC has now required carriers to take new steps to ensure their networks are not used to transmit illegal robocalls. The agency also adopted restrictions on non-telemarketing robocalls to consumers’ home phones.
Voice service providers will now be required to stop illegal calls when notified of those calls by the Commission. Carriers must also aid FCC and law enforcement efforts to identify providers that originate illegal calls.
This network-based blocking would not require consumers to opt-in. To qualify for the safe harbors, blocking providers must target only calls highly likely to be illegal, while providing sufficient human oversight and network monitoring to ensure that blocking is working as intended. Continue Reading
To ensure blocking does not stop calls consumers want to receive, the Commission required phone companies to immediately notify callers when calls are prevented, provide a list of obstructed calls to subscribers on request, and provide a status update on call blocking disputes within 24 hours.
The Commission reviewed exemptions on non-telemarketing robocalls made to residential phones from non-commercial, commercial, and tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. It limited the number of exempt calls to residential phones to three within a consecutive 30-day period. Previously, there was no limit on the number of non-telemarketing robocalls any caller could make to a residence. Carriers are also now required to allow consumers to opt out of these calls.
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