The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to fine organizations for spam calls. Over the past few years, the total amount of fines has exceeded $200 million, but the violators have paid only $7. We are discussing why this happened and what the regulators are going to do.
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Extent of the problem
Last year in the USA 48 billion robo calls. This than a year earlier. Phone spam complaints are becoming the most common reason consumers contact the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2016, the employees of the organization five million hits. A year later, this figure was seven million.
Since 2003 in America national database of telephone numbers of owners who refuse advertising calls - . But its effectiveness leaves much to be desired, as it does not save collectors, charities and survey companies from calls.
Increasingly, automated call services are being used to extort money. By YouMail, of the four billion robocalls last September, 40% were made by scammers.
Do Not Call Registry violations are monitored by the US Federal Communications Commission. The organization imposes fines and collects them, but the latter task is more difficult to complete than it might seem. Between 2015 and 2019 FCC in the amount of $ 208 million. To date, it has been possible to raise a little less than $ 7 thousand.
Why did it happen
FCC representatives that they do not have enough power to force companies to pay fines. The Ministry of Justice deals with all cases of non-payers, but they do not have enough resources to deal with millions of violations. An additional complication is the fact that before the source of robo-calls get. Modern technologies allow you to set up "dummy" PBXs and conduct all operations through them (for example, from other countries).
Also, violators use fake numbers that are difficult to trace. But even if those responsible for unauthorized robo-calls are found, they often turn out to be small companies or individuals who simply do not have the money to pay the fine in full.
What will they do
Last year, a congressman from the House of Representatives with the telling name Stopping Bad Robocalls, which will give the FCC more authority in matters related to the appointment and collection of fines. A similar project is being prepared in the upper house of the US Congress. He Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED).
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By the way, the FCC itself is also trying to solve the problem. But their initiatives are primarily aimed at combating spam calls. An example would be implement the SHAKEN / STIR protocol on the side of telecom companies, which allows you to verify callers. Subscriber providers verify call informationβlocation, organization, device informationβand only then establish a connection. Read more about how the protocol works .
SHAKEN/STIR already T-Mobile operators and . Their customers now receive notifications about calls from suspicious numbers. Recently to this deuce Comcast. Other US carriers are still testing the technology. They are expected to complete testing by the end of 2019.
But not everyone is convinced that the new protocol will help reduce the number of unwanted robo calls. Like April a representative of one of the telecoms, in order to have an effect, it is necessary to allow providers to automatically block such calls.
And we can say that his proposal was heard. Early June FCC mobile operators such an opportunity. The commission also developed new rules that will regulate this process.
But chances are the FCC decision won't last long. A similar situation happened a few years ago - then the commission already allowed operators to block all incoming robo-calls. However, a group of activists from - the American Collectors Association - sued the FCC and , forcing the commission to reverse its decision.
Whether the new FCC regulation succeeds in making the new FCC regulation part of the telecom ecosystem, or whether history repeats itself last year, remains to be seen in the near future.
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Source: habr.com