6/15/2023 0 Comments Max raskin![]() Most of us no longer answer calls from numbers we don't recognize-which is frustrating to those trying to get through and place legitimate calls. The US Federal Trade Commission seal is seen during a press conference in Washington, D.C. Why should the vast majority of Americans suffer for the occasional traveler abroad? That rule, however, is being postponed at the behest of larger companies, who say they are afraid foreign customers may have their legitimate calls blocked from abroad when trying to contact the U.S.īut we live in a world where there are a seemingly infinite number of ways to get in touch with someone-through text, email, WhatsApp or hotels. There is a more robust rule that would prohibit gateway carriers from accepting traffic from foreign carriers who have not been registered and white-listed by the FCC. telecom companies and malicious foreign actors by requiring the gateway carriers to adopt a technological solution called STIR/SHAKEN that helps block spam calls. The Federal Communications Commission is currently in the middle of a byzantine regulatory process that would try to sever the link between the smaller U.S. companies, like Verizon and AT&T, which is how these calls make it to our phones. These gateway carriers then funnel foreign traffic to larger U.S. Whether they turn a blind eye or are truly unable to distinguish the calls, the smaller U.S.-based carriers are the conduit into the U.S. The chain involved in making spam robocalls usually begins abroad, where malicious foreign actors place spam calls to smaller U.S.-based telecom carriers who are happy to receive their fees. But sadly, our federal regulators are losing the war. Bold thinking and innovative solutions are needed to solve this crisis. There are few things Americans agree on more than wanting this insanity to end, but the federal government has absolutely failed to deliver. These malicious calls-more than 45 billion in the past year alone-cost Americans billions of dollars annually, and they constitute the single largest type of complaint the Federal Trade Commission receives. It could be an ominous warning from "the IRS" that your Social Security number is suspended or a call from your "credit card company" letting you know you are behind in payment. By the time you're reading this column there is a good chance you've already received a spam call today.
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