US seeks new tools to counter unrelenting wave of robocalls

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U.S. regulators are proposing new tools to counter the unrelenting waves of robocalls received each year in America.

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This article was published 15/05/2019 (2638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

U.S. regulators are proposing new tools to counter the unrelenting waves of robocalls received each year in America.

The rising volume of calls in the last few years has created pressure on Congress, regulators and phone companies to act.

The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that it will vote in June on whether to allow to carriers block spam calls by default. Right now, customers can only request tools from their carriers or download apps from other companies to help them weed out unwanted calls.

FILE - In this May 4, 2018, file photo a man talks on the phone in a hallway adorned with the palm tree-printed wallpaper at a hotel near the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. U.S. regulators are proposing new measures intended to thwart billions of annoying robocalls received by Americans each year. The rising volume of unwanted calls in the last few years has created pressure on Congress, regulators and phone companies to do something to act. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this May 4, 2018, file photo a man talks on the phone in a hallway adorned with the palm tree-printed wallpaper at a hotel near the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. U.S. regulators are proposing new measures intended to thwart billions of annoying robocalls received by Americans each year. The rising volume of unwanted calls in the last few years has created pressure on Congress, regulators and phone companies to do something to act. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The agency won’t require carriers to provide such services or mandate that the tools offered are free. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says, however that he wouldn’t expect companies to charge customers who need help blocking calls.

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