Large Telecoms, State Enforcers Make Pact to Combat Robocalls
August 22 2019 - 3:36PM
Dow Jones News
By Ryan Tracy
WASHINGTON -- Large telecom companies and attorneys general from
every state unveiled Thursday a new pact for combating robocalls,
the latest step toward cutting off such calls before they reach a
consumer's phone.
Under the agreement, the companies are promising to work to
prevent illegal robocalls on their networks and to work with state
law enforcement investigating the calls' origins.
Among the companies' promises: to provide customers with free
call-blocking technology, investigate and trace illegal calls and
confirm the identity of their commercial customers as part of
cooperation with law enforcement.
"Some of these carriers are doing some of these things. We need
all carriers to do all of these things," said North Carolina
Attorney General Josh Stein. He said he hopes the industry
cooperation will help "shine a light on activity occurring in the
dark."
The participating companies include AT&T Inc., Verizon
Communications Inc., T-Mobile US Inc., Sprint Corp., CenturyLink
Inc. and seven other large carriers.
The agreement is voluntary and doesn't include a deadline. It
isn't yet being signed by smaller companies -- who are said to be
significant conduits for illegal calls -- although the larger
companies are promising that when they enter into contracts with
other voice-call carriers, they will seek to make sure the contract
requires cooperation with call-tracing efforts.
The action won't stop illegal calls directly, but is instead
designed to bolster efforts to track illegal robocalls by
identifying both the callers and any intermediary companies that
facilitate the calls.
New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said that with
more cooperation from industry in tracing calls, prosecutors will
have better tools to bring cases against bad actors. "The great
challenge with robocalls is the trace-back challenge," he said,
referring to the difficulty of following a call to its origin
through the telephone network.
Mr. Stein said states could use the new information to prosecute
not only scammers but also telecom carriers that accommodate them,
using laws barring unfair and deceptive business practices.
Robocalls aren't always illegal, but many of them do violate
laws against fraud or consumer harassment.
Officials in government and industry believe preventing illegal
calls from getting onto telephone networks in the first place will
be more effective in the long run than simply prosecuting
robocallers individually in a yearslong game of Whack a Mole.
The agreement's effectiveness could be limited by the fact that
it doesn't yet include internet-based telecom carriers. Industry
officials say some of these little-known firms are originating a
significant amount of robocall traffic, and authorities are at odds
over how to hold those carriers accountable, The Wall Street
Journal reported recently.
In statements Thursday, the companies praised the effort, which
they said aligned with some of their previous public
commitments.
"We remain committed to continuing to work with stakeholders at
all levels of government and throughout the industry as we continue
to fight this ongoing battle," said a statement from Joan Marsh,
executive vice president of regulatory and state external affairs
for AT&T.
Some in the industry are pushing for rules that would hold
telecom carriers accountable for following industry best
practices.
Verizon urged the Federal Communications Commission in July to
require telecom providers of all sizes to have programs for
monitoring customers and mitigating robocalls. The FCC should put
carriers on probation or kick them off the telephone network if
they turn a blind eye to illegal traffic, Verizon said.
Write to Ryan Tracy at ryan.tracy@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 22, 2019 15:21 ET (19:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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