The One-Ring Scam is a curious beast that's been around for some time and has now been highlighted in one section of the new TRACED act that's sailing through the legislative process. How it works: A scammer makes a very brief calls to a huge number of targets; he disconnects each of his call attempts after just one ring. Some…

The FCC is responsible for enforcement of the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), but the Federal TRADE Commission is responsible for a parallel law called the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). The TSR is lengthier and in some ways broader than the TCPA, but there are significant overlaps and the two agencies have sought to align them somewhat over the years…

Telephone service in our country is implemented via a few thousand different voice service providers, from giants like AT&T and Verizon (each serving over a hundred million subscribers) to small rural providers serving a thousand or fewer, to voice broadcasters and others that specialize in robocalls. While still subject to some government regulations, the providers exchange telephone traffic primarily via…

Today, Wall Street Journal technology columnist Joanna Stern published another one of her "In the Elevator with..." videos, this time featuring Ajit Pai. And of course it kicks off with robocalls. Pai says: “All you need is an internet connection and the desire to bombard American consumers and you’re off to the races.” No, that’s not all you need. You…

Last week (25-September), Hiya held their first "State of the Call" conference in New York City. They invited me to speak, labeling my session as follows: To set the tone for the first half of the day, you will get a crash course into the illegal robocalling industry. You will learn how these bad actors get their numbers, how they…

Last week, in conjunction with another FCC Order tweaking robocall rules, Commissioner Rosenworcel released a statement where she said, “There is no public process for holding carriers who put this junk on the line accountable.” I agree. I think the first step is for ALL carriers to adopt a Pledge whereby they hold themselves accountable for doing what they can…

I was invited to testify at a Senate Special Committee on Aging. This 17-July event was their 23rd hearing on robocalls, if you can believe it. This Committee has long had an interest in illegal robocalls, because so many of these scammers target the elderly. It was a great experience for me, not just for the interactions with the Senators…

I’m usually underwhelmed with what I see in congressional hearings targeting illegal robocalls. But a May 7 session of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, chaired by Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, came to my attention and I was impressed. This excerpt from the hearing captures the back-and-forth between the Senator, FTC Chairman Simons and FCC Chairman Pai. I…

Most FCC regulations come about through a rigorous, multistep Rulemaking process, wherein the agency opens a docket, solicits input, drafts a proposed rule, endures a public comment period, and then issues an Order. But there’s a quicker path, as the FCC reminded me in their just-issued draft Declaratory Ruling regarding robocall blocking. At footnote 56, they say: See 47 CFR…

I’m a pilot and I often find myself mapping things into the world of aviation. In the late 1960’s, there were a rash of airplane hijackings. That’s when passenger screening for weapons was born. The airlines did it originally. The checks were done with a hand-held wand; then they came up with the walk-through metal detectors. Over time, the process…