Most robocall blocking software and hardware has focused on stopping unwanted calls to landline phones, and especially landlines connected over the internet. That’s all well and good, but a growing number of Americans are now cellphone-only, meaning many millions of us still have to face these annoying calls. When Apple rolls out iOS 10 — the latest update to its mobile operating system — this week, it should open the door to a spate of new robo-blockers for your iPhone. [More]
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14 Excuses AT&T Gave Customers For Not Blocking Robocalls
By 6.27.16
A few weeks back, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson inaccurately claimed that his company can’t offer free robocall-blocking technology because it needs permission from the FCC first. With that explanation debunked, a number of AT&T customers tried to give Darth Randy their permission to install these call-blocking services. As you might expect, the responses from AT&T were a mixed bag of fictions and excuses. [More]
Nomorobo Announces $5/Month Robocall-Blocking App For Mobile Phones
By 6.20.16
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]
AT&T CEO Says He Can’t Deploy Robocall Blockers Without FCC Approval. He’s Wrong
By 6.1.16
On his personal phone line, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson blocks unwanted, pre-recorded and auto-dialed robocalls. So why is Darth Randy not making this technology available for all of his customers? He claims it’s because he needs the FCC’s permission to do so, but the FCC says that just isn’t so. [More]
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Consumers Call On AT&T To Help End Robocalls
By 2.23.16
In spite of efforts to legislate and regulate them out of existence, unwanted prerecorded and/or auto-dialed robocalls are still dominate consumers’ complaints about their phone service. Today, our colleagues at Consumers Union delivered a petition — signed by hundreds of thousands of people who want the nation’s telecom providers to do something about robocalls — to the AT&T headquarters in Texas. [More]
Report: 858 Robocalls Placed Every Second, Most Of Them From Debt Collectors
By 2.18.16
How many unwanted pre-recorded and/or autodialed calls have you received so far this year? Judging by the numbers in one new report, we’re guessing it’s a lot. [More]
Time Warner Cable Integrates Robocall-Blocker Into Telephone Service
By 1.14.16
While traditional phone companies have been reluctant to integrate available call-blocking technology to help consumers avoid unwanted “robocalls,” some six million Time Warner Cable customers will now be able to turn on a free feature that can cut down on these telephonic annoyances. [More]
Phone Companies Can Filter Out Robocalls, They Just Aren’t Doing It
By 11.17.15
Even in an age when everyone has Caller ID on their cellphones and landlines, when more than 200 million numbers are listed on the national Do Not Call Registry, our phones are still inundated with unwanted auto-dialed and prerecorded calls. And though state and federal regulators regularly shut down illegal telemarketing operations, it can seem like a game of Whac-A-Mole, with new robocallers popping up to replace the old ones. [More]
Government And Industry Get Together At FCC Workshop To Figure Out How To Kill Robocalls Already
By 9.16.15
Robocalls suck. They have continued to suck for a very long time. Everyone hates them. The FCC has been trying to make them go away for many months now, and to that end they held a workshop today in Washington, DC bringing together regulators, consumer advocates, and industry executives to talk about what everyone can do to make these lousy, often-fraudulent annoyances go away. [More]
Consumers Put Robocall-Blocking Devices To The Test
By 7.28.15
While we wait for phone companies to get around to offering services that help consumers block unwanted prerecorded robocalls, there are already several options available for people to use now, but not all of them may be up to the task. [More]
