New FCC rules could force phone companies to block robocalls to 911 call centers

In 2012, Congress asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a special do-not-call registry to protect 911 call centers from robocalls. The system was never implemented in part due to security concerns that arose when the FCC and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began to study the feasibility of the idea. Specifically, there were concerns that a malicious actor could use the registry to flood an automated call center and thus prevent it from helping people in need.

Fast forward to the present and the FCC says it has a better idea of ​​how to achieve the goal assigned to it by Congress. Thursday, the agency that would force telephone companies to block robocalls made in these facilities. As Interim FCC President Jessica Rosenworcel, the benefit of this approach is that it would limit access to the Do Not Call registry to a select group of verified phone companies and operators. And by limiting access to that list, the FCC and FTC can put in place better safeguards to protect it. With today’s decision, the FCC is not yet ready to implement this system, but what it plans to do is gather feedback before moving forward. “We think this is a promising approach, but we want to get it right,” Rosenworcel said.