On August 19, 2016, FCC opened up the meeting of the group called “Robocall Strike Force,” a team made up of titans in the tech industry with the goal of ending automated robocalls and autodialer text messages.

Another strategy to fight unwanted robocalls and autodialer text messages has started further supporting the efforts of Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 2013, the formation of the Do Not Call List, and an app called Nomorobo which prevented more than 126 million robocalls.  Let’s all applaud the Robocall Strike Force and help them achieve success.

What are robocalls? “Robocalls are unsolicited prerecorded telemarketing calls to landline home telephones, and all autodialed or prerecorded calls or text messages to wireless numbers, emergency numbers, and patient rooms at health care facilities. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, FCC rules limit many types of robocalls, though some calls are permissible if prior consent is given. Rules differ between landline and wireless phones.” (Source: FCC)

The Federal Communications Commission has prepared comprehensive solutions to prevent, detect and filter unwanted robocalls. They have joined forces with 30 IT industry leaders including Google (Alphabet), Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and major US telecoms, in order to jointly put an end to an epidemic of fraudulent robocalls and robotexts that pester consumers on a daily basis.

The Robocall Strike Force inauguration meeting was open to public with remarks from several members that chair the board including Chairman Tom Wheeler, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner Ajit Pai, and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Tom Wheeler reminded all, telemarketing calls are the number one consumer complaint – there are more than 200,000 complaints to the FCC and on the FCC’s web-based platform. According to him, the problem is not just a network problem – it is a community problem, and FCC has decided to gather up big tech names to collectively try and stop this fraudulent activity. Wheeler called for technological innovation and development from all involved to further improve the probability of success of the Robocall Strike Force.

We sincerely hope these unwanted communications will come to an end or at least be substantially throttled back. We at AdvantageTec only send automated text messages with written authorization and are proud to set an example in the automotive industry – too many of our competitors are not within the bounds of the FCC rules.

See the video of the first Robocall Strike Force meeting that was held on August 19, 2016 in FCC headquarters:

Like this article? Read more about FCC and TCPA:

• FCC July 10th 2015 car dealership FAQs
• FCC 2013 telemarketing rules
• Auto dealer’s guide to texting
• Tips and guidelines for writing a good text message to your consumer
• A brief history of mobile texting

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Article originally published on www.advantagetec.com on September 6, 2016.