Koster renews call on major phone carriers to act quickly to offer technology to consumers
Jefferson City, Mo. – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today passed a rule authorizing phone companies to utilize call-blocking technologies to better protect their customers from robocalls and scams. Attorney General Chris Koster and Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller plan to immediately begin asking state Attorneys General to join their call for the four major carriers to adopt these technologies.
“Today was a tremendous victory for all consumers who are tired of their cell phones and landlines being bombarded by robocalls,” Koster said. “AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile should not delay offering call-blocking technology to their customers. To do less would make a mockery of the term ‘customer service’,” Koster added.
The FCC’s rule clarification is in response to a letter, signed by thirty-nine Attorneys General, sent to the FCC last September asking the Commission to issue an official opinion clarifying that telephone providers are not prohibited by law from offering, at the customer’s request, technology to block unwanted calls or texts. Representatives of the telecommunications industry had previously cited legal concerns as an obstacle to implementation of call-blocking technology, even upon consumer demand.
