FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The Federal Communications Commission opened a new inquiry into ways to curb unwanted robocalls Thursday [7-13-17], with the aim of deterring use of fake phone numbers—a tactic known as spoofing that has been a major factor in the current epidemic.
Robocalls recently have run at a rate of more than 2.5 billion a month, according to some estimates, despite multiple efforts by the FCC and Congress to prevent them.
A big part of the problem is that technology advances have made robocalls cheap and easy to place, increasing their appeal to some marketers as well as scam artists. New technology enabling spoofing, in which callers use falsified phone numbers, boosts the odds a consumer will answer, often by making it appear the call is from nearby. Many of the calls actually come from overseas.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is trying to put more muscle into the agency’s efforts to combat illegal and fraudulent robocalls. Last month, the FCC proposed a record $120 million fine against a Miami man who the agency said was responsible for making almost 100 million falsified robocalls in late 2016.”
-John D. McKinnon, “FCC Takes Stronger Aim at Robocalls,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 13, 2017 01:17pm