Table of contents:

* 1 - Re: How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls - Bill
  Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
* 2 - How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls - Bill Horne
  <bill@horneQRM.net>
* 3 - Re: How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls - HAncock4
  <withheld@telecom-digest.org.invalid>

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Message-ID: <20151221160235.GB3655@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 11:02:35 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: Re: How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls

On Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 10:15:00AM -0500, Bill Horne wrote:
> Maureen Mahoney
> Consumer Union
>
> The Do Not Call list, federal law enforcement efforts, and actions by
> the states have not been enough to protect Americans from the flood of
> unwanted robocalls that have become rampant in recent years.

A quick review of the Consumers Union proposal leaves me with a sense
of disappointment: the only realistic long-term solution, from my
perspective, would require major investments by the LECs, and provides
no suggestion as to where the money would come from.

Consumers Union's other proposals all have the same problems as a
FUSSP: blacklisting, statistical analysis, third-party services, etc.

The good news is that Consumers Union is a major player in the area of
consumer protection, and the fact that they're interested is, in
itself, a major development.

Bill

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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Message-ID: <20151221151500.GA3603@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 10:15:00 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls

Maureen Mahoney
Consumer Union

The Do Not Call list, federal law enforcement efforts, and actions by
the states have not been enough to protect Americans from the flood of
unwanted robocalls that have become rampant in recent years. Hundreds
of thousands of people complain each month to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) about unwanted calls, and it's estimated consumers
lose $350 million a year to phone scams. Thanks to rapid advances in
Internet technology, robocallers can make thousands of auto-dialed
calls per minute for a relatively low cost. Robocall scammers easily
escape detection and punishment by operating overseas or using
software to disguise - or spoof - their name and number. The problem
is so bad that federal agencies and Congress have been exploring
solutions to the unwanted robocall problem.

http://consumersunion.org

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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Message-ID: <e43ed0a9-3481-4f4e-9a79-ed843d51fa2f@googlegroups.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 10:15:57 -0800 (PST)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@telecom-digest.org.invalid>
Subject: Re: How phone companies can end unwanted robocalls

On Monday, December 21, 2015 at 11:14:34 AM UTC-5, Bill Horne wrote:

> A quick review of the Consumers Union proposal leaves me with a sense
> of disappointment: the only realistic long-term solution, from my
> perspective, would require major investments by the LECs, and provides
> no suggestion as to where the money would come from.

In my own experience, the biggest problem with robocalls has been
legal ones:  political campaigns, surveys, charities, and sales
people linked (more or less) to companies I've dealt with.

I dread the week of election day because my phone rings off the hook
with political calls.  Even low level candidates and their supporters
flood the phone lines.

Accordingly, I wish the law could be changed to prohibit all those
calls.  But I doubt that will ever happen, as I can't see politicians
giving up that easy campaign medium.  Indeed, politicians tried to pass
a law allowing robo calls to cell phones, but fortunately, that failed.
The other groups have strong lobbies, too.  Lastly, I can't help but
suspect the telephone industry wants it, as they get a cut of the
action.  Obviously the makers of the robo call hardware push for it.

I did have one small victory:  my housing complex got a robo caller
to alert residents to emergencies, such as a utility failure.  But
later they began to use it to announce routine items such as social
events or routine meetings.  I complained long and hard about that,
and now they limit use to true urgent situations.

I will acknowledge that there are a few tolerable uses of robo-calls:
--pharmacy advising a prescription is ready for pick up.
--doctor's office calling to remind patient of upcoming appointment.
--town or housing complex reporting urgent or emergency situation


P.S.  I haven't heard from "Rachel" of credit card services in a long
time.

***** Moderator's Note *****

Rachel changed her name to Trudy.

Bill Horne
Moderator


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End of telecom Digest Tue, 22 Dec 2015