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Release date 07/22/2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In letters sent on Thursday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler urged the nation’s top phone companies to provide their customers with free tools to block unwanted robocalls and has given them 30 days to respond with a plan for doing so. Robocalls have become rampant in recent years and are the top consumer complaint reported to the FCC.
Wheeler’s action was applauded by Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, which launched its End Robocalls campaign last year calling on the phone companies to take action. Over 600,000 people have signed Consumers Union’s petition urging AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon to offer their customers free robocall-blocking tools.
“Consumers are tired of being hounded by robocalls that interrupt their privacy and are often used by crooks to commit fraud,” said Tim Marvin, who heads up Consumers Union’s End Robocalls campaign. “The phone companies need to start listening to their customers who are desperate for relief. The time for action is long overdue.”
FCC Chairman Wheeler sent letters to AT&T, Bandwidth.com, CenturyLink, Frontier Communications, Level 3 Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon.
For years, the phone companies argued that they were prevented from blocking robocalls because they were legally obligated to make sure all calls reached the intended recipient. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson repeated that excuse in an interview in May with the Dallas Morning News. But last year, the Federal Communications Commission made it clear that phone companies have the legal authority to block unwanted calls.
In his letters to the phone companies, Wheeler reiterated that point. “Nothing in the Commission’s rules and orders prevents [phone companies] from offering customers robocall blocking technology,” Wheeler writes. “I strongly urge you to offer your customers robust call blocking at no cost.”
Robocalls are more than just a nuisance. They can cost consumers real money when they are used to commit fraud. Too often, that’s the case. Telephone scammers use robocalls to rip off seniors and other vulnerable consumers, resulting in an estimated $350 million in financial losses every year.
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 3.5 million complaints from consumers fed up with unwanted calls. Almost half of these calls occurred after the consumer requested that the caller stop contacting them. Robocalls have become so rampant that complaints about violations of the Do Not Call registry doubled between 2010 and 2015.
Consumers Union issued a report in 2015 that identified a number of existing technologies that phone companies could use to block unwanted robocalls from reaching their customers.
Media Contacts:
Michael McCauley, Consumers Union, 415.431.6747 x7606 (office)│415.902.9537 (cell) or mmccauley@consumer.org
David Butler, Consumers Union, 202.462.6262 or dbutler@consumer.org
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.
© 2016 Consumer Reports. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports® magazine, ConsumerReports.org® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Consumer Reports will take all steps open to it to prevent unauthorized commercial use of its content and trademarks.
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.
© 2016 Consumer Reports. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports® magazine, ConsumerReports.org® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Consumer Reports will take all steps open to it to prevent unauthorized commercial use of its content and trademarks.