3 Reasons Robocalls May Soon Be on the Run

As anyone with a telephone knows, robocalls are a major nuisance. In August, about 4.8 billion robocalls were placed around the nation, according to the YouMail Robocall Index.

While it might seem as though the irritating calls will never end, hold the line! Recent developments promise that robocalls may soon be on the wane.

Here are three reasons robocalls could someday be a thing of the past:

1. Telephone companies are fighting back

In August, a dozen of the nation’s biggest telephone companies agreed to crack down on robocalls by implementing technology that will identify and block these irritating calls.

The telecom industry and attorneys general from every state and Washington, D.C., worked together to reach the agreement. Carriers who have signed on to the deal — including AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon — will soon:

• Implement call-blocking technology.
• Offer anti-robocall tools for free to customers.
• Deploy a system that labels calls as real or spam.

There is no deadline for implementation of the agreement, but Josh Stein, North Carolina attorney general, told The Washington Post he expects changes to occur “as soon as practical.”

2. Federal and state authorities are cracking down

The Washington Post also reports that in June, authorities at both the state and federal levels announced 94 enforcement actions against illegal robocallers that allegedly placed an estimated 1 billion robocalls to consumers.

The move signaled that governments are getting serious about cracking down on the perpetrators of robocalls, the newspaper says.

In addition, the Federal Communications Commission recently issued rules that encourage carriers to enroll customers in call-blocking technology by default, as opposed to enrolling customers only if they first opt in, the Post reports.

3. Call-blocking technology is widely available

Tired of waiting for the government and telecom companies to get their act together? You can take matters into your own hands by adopting one of many widely available call-blocking technologies.

Some of these services are free. In other cases, you’ll pay a modest fee. To learn more about your options, check out “7 Ways to Stop Robocalls in Their Tracks.”

Of course, the best call-blocking technology might be the machinery whirring between your ears. Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson says a little common sense can help put robocalls on hold.

Stacy shares his tips in “Ask Stacy: How Can I Stop These Darn Robocalls?”

How do you keep robocalls at bay? Share your tips in comments below or on our Facebook page.