Regulators give phone companies new tools to fight robocalls

NEW YORK -- Federal regulators voted Thursday to give phone companies the right to block unwanted calls without getting customers' permission first.

"We get things working really well. We're flagging all these calls as scams. And then the scammers find a new way," said Grant Castle, vice president of engineering at T-Mobile."We have to adjust. It is a constant back-and-forth." The robocall problem has exploded because cheap software makes it easy to make mass calls. Scammers don't care if you've added your number to the government's Do Not Call list.

Phone companies are implementing a system to identify faked numbers and have rolled out call-blocking apps. But they haven't done much else, worried about their own legal liability for accidentally blocking calls that should go through. Another angle of attack is to get rid of"spoofed" numbers. That's when a scammer fakes the number on your phone to look like it's coming from the same area code you have, in an effort to get you to pick up.

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Regulators give phone companies new tools to fight robocallsFederal regulators are giving phone companies the right to block unwanted calls without getting customers' permission first. How would the Phone Company know the call was unwanted without my Permission first Waiting for an important call and the batterydies? Simply toss your cell phone, notebook or computer under a desk lamp, dashboard of your car or out in the sun with no bending down to plug in a charge……… I get unwanted calls everyday. Mostly health ins. calls
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FCC allows telecom companies to block illegal robocallsThe Federal Communications Commission votes to allow telecom providers to block illegal and unwanted calls before they reach consumers, saying it will make an immediate difference for those plagued by scam calls. Oh my God did Ajit Pai just do something good?! ::brain vomits on itself:: Put them on hold and walk away. They blacklist your number after a few times and don’t call again.
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