Ajit Pai Provides New Rule Enabling Operators to Block Automated Calls

On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission announced a new measure granting mobile operators new capabilities to block the growing number of unsolicited automated calls.

The new rule would help operators, such as AT & T, Verizon and T-Mobile, automatically register their customers for call blocking technology. At the moment, customers have to register themselves. This would also allow customers to block calls from phone numbers that are not in their contact list. Commissioners should vote on the measure at their June 6 meeting.

"Allowing call blocking by default could be a significant benefit for consumers who are fed up with automated calls," said FCC President Ajit Pai. "By stating that this blocking of calls is allowed, the FCC will give voice providers the legal security they need to block unwanted calls from the outset, so consumers never have to get them."

Automated calls are worsening: according to reports, more than 48 billion automated calls were placed in the United States in 2018 alone.

Last November, Pai wrote to some of the largest US carriers asking them to deploy a new pair of new call authentication protocols, STIR / SHAKEN, on their networks by the end of the year. Once fully launched, the protocols would notify customers when a call came from a legitimate source and not from a spoofed number. Today, Pai said the FCC was also looking to provide operators with a secure port to block unauthenticated calls.

This new announcement of automated calls comes just one hour before the FCC Commissioners are called to testify before the House Energy and Trade Committee for their first year-end audit hearing. Legislators should question the efforts of lawmakers to combat the assault of automated appeals, which many members are trying to repair through legislation.

A majority of the US Senate already supports a law of Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Ed Markey (D-MA) who would allow the FCC to more easily seek financial penalties from the appellants and provide additional tools to regulators and law enforcement. to fight against these unwanted and illegal calls.

Members of the House of Representatives, such as Energy and Trade President Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), also have their own anti-appeal legislation that differs from that proposed by the Senate, but it includes a similar wording, such as increasing the duration of the text. time, the FCC must find and attack bad actors.