Industry Work on Blocking Robocalls Still Far From Complete, Wheeler Says
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler expressed impatience with the industry-led Robocall Strike Force, which presented its initial report to the agency Wednesday. The release was a high-profile affair, with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, chairman of the strike force, and all five commissioners attending. Members of the task force have met more than 100 times leading up to the presentation, commission officials said. “We have not reached the goal,” Wheeler said. “We need solutions now."
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The work the agency asked the strike force to do is complicated, said Melissa Arnoldi, senior vice president-technology solutions at AT&T Mobility, who presented the report. Standards bodies have work to do on authentication standards, though the strike force is pushing to move up the date when the standards are finalized, Arnoldi said.
Work is also underway on the testing of do-not-originate technology and on educating consumers about robocalls, Arnoldi said. Members of the group also agreed to share information on bad actors making illegal robocalls, she said. “These steps are just the beginning,” Stephenson assured the FCC. “But as Melissa told you, they are already having a significant impact. Obviously, it goes without saying that we still have a lot of work left to do.” Stephenson, meanwhile, may return to Washington as his company seeks OK to buy Time Warner in a $108.7 deal; he agreed to testify on the matter, possibly Dec. 7 (see 1610260031).
“We understand how the standards process works,” Wheeler said. “But it needs to get the job done soon.” Wheeler said at the initial meeting of the group that the FCC would step in if the task force falters (see 1608190034). Consumers won’t get protection until the standards are complete, he said.
Wheeler slammed a recommendation saying industry should be able to recover the costs of stopping robocalls. “The FCC will look to see how we can help reduce costs,” he said. “But stopping unwanted calls is as much a business expense as marketing and billing and providing a quality service is a cost of doing business.” Wheeler also said he asked the strike force to reconvene in six months to examine progress.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel thanked members of the strike force for their work so far. “But let’s be honest, it’s not enough,” she said. “It’s not enough for elderly folks who are targeted by fraudsters. It’s not enough for young families with two parents with two jobs and too little time in the day who just want to sit down to dinner without interruption.” Hold the applause, Rosenworcel said: “There are no prizes for participation.”
The work of the strike force shows robocalls are a difficult problem, said Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. “At best, it’s [a problem] we hope to manage and mitigate and probably can never expect to eliminate in full.” Criminal robocallers often reside outside the U.S. and will never comply with FCC rules, he said. Bad actors “should be our true target, not legitimate companies using automated technologies to offer legitimate services to consumers that want them,” O’Rielly said. Cooperation with industry will help solve the robocall problem, “not government mandates, artificial deadlines, hyperbole or bluster,” O’Rielly said.
“Success over illegal and unwanted robocalls requires action over three areas: source authentication, network and consumer blocking tools, and effective enforcement with the power to traceback and shut down offending accounts,” the report said. “The tools incorporating this technology will ultimately give customers the power to choose what types of calls they wish to receive and what to block.” The document warns there's “no silver bullet” solving the problem of unwanted robocalls: “Fraudulent robocallers constantly change their methods to bypass blocking solutions as they are implemented. Like the approach to cyberattacks, our approach to unwanted and illegal robocall blocking needs to be constantly evolving and adapting.”
“This latest plan is half a loaf, if that,” said Maureen Mahoney, policy analyst for Consumers Union. “Robocalls are a major source of frustration for consumers who are tired of being harassed by unwanted calls from scam artists and shady telemarketers."
“As requested by the Strike Force, USTelecom will continue to expand this industry-wide effort, and we look forward to keeping the commission informed of this work,” President Walter McCormick said in a news release. “By working together, voice providers, equipment makers and software developers can develop new technologies and standards to better detect and block robocalls.”
“After years of inaction, today’s report is the first clear sign that the industry is taking seriously the problem of unwanted robocalls plaguing consumers,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a member of subcommittees on communications and consumer protection.