Last month, after FCC Chair Tom Wheeler called on the telecom industry to finally do something about the nuisance of pre-recorded, auto-dialed robocalls, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson agreed to head up a joint private-public Robocall Strike Force tasked with actually doing something about these calls. Today, this elite squad of telephonic titans is meeting for the first time. [More]
just say no to robocalls
Nomorobo Announces $5/Month Robocall-Blocking App For Mobile Phones
If you’re plagued with marketing robocalls on your Android or iOS mobile phone, some relief might be coming soon. This afternoon, the makers of call filter Nomorobo announced that they’re introducing a mobile app for the two dominant smartphone operating systems to block robocalls. The bad news: it’s not free to users. [More]
Student Loan Companies Tell Congress: Debt-Collection Robocalls Are In Borrowers’ Best Interest
Show me someone who supports robocalls, and I’ll show you someone that has very few friends. Which is why it’s baffling that the Senate has yet to act on a bill introduced last fall that would close a loophole allowing the government to make debt-collection robocalls. But you know who does support robocalls? The student loan companies that are currently trying to convince Congress that these invasive annoyances are really for our benefit. [More]
Senators Introduce Bill To Close New Robocall Debt-Collection Loophole
Last week, the president signed an emergency budget bill that kept the government from shutting down, but which also quietly exempted federal agencies from an important consumer protection against automated debt-collection robocalls. A new piece of legislation hopes to turn back the clock on that mistake by closing that recently opened loophole. [More]