FCC to Release Data in Battle Against Robocalls

The government is increasing its efforts to protect consumers from unwanted – and annoying – robo and telemarketing calls.

The Federal Communications Commission announced it will publish a list of robocall and telemarketing complaints from consumers each week. The information provided in the online spreadsheet of complaints will include the phone number of the robo or telemarketing caller, the type of call or message and the date and state where the call was received.

That information could be valuable to third-party developers who are working to build and improve do-not-call and do-not-disturb products for consumers.

“Consumers want and deserve effective tools to empower them to choose the calls and texts they receive,” said Alison Kutler, chief of the FCC’s consumer and governmental affairs bureau, which manages consumer complaints.

The FCC said consumer complaints about unwanted calls or texts are vital to improving do-not-call technologies.

“Complaints about unwanted calls and texts are by far the largest complaint category to the agency, with over 215,000 complaints last year,” the FCC said.

Although commercial telemarketers are barred from calling consumers who are registered on the Do-Not-Call Registry, loopholes exist that allow those annoying and unwanted calls to go through, according to CNN Money.

While technical minds apply their skills to the problem, here are some things you can do about it: “12 Effective Weapons for Stopping Robocalls.”

Do you receive a lot of unwanted robo and telemarketing calls or texts? What do you think of the FCC’s latest efforts to curb those annoying phone calls? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.