FCC Chairman Proposes New Rules Aimed to Ban Spoofed Texts and Foreign Robocalls

The FCC announced that Chairman Pai has proposed adoption of new rules banning malicious caller ID spoofing of text messages and international calls.  The Commission will vote on these new rules at its August 1, 2019 meeting.

“Scammers often robocall us from overseas, and when they do, they typically spoof their numbers to try and trick consumers,” said Chairman Pai.  “Call center fraudsters often pretend to be calling from trusted organizations and use pressure tactics to steal from Americans.  We must attack this problem with every tool we have.  With these new rules, we’ll close the loopholes that hamstring law enforcement when they try to pursue international scammers and scammers using text messaging.”

The Truth in Caller ID Act prohibits anyone from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information (“spoofing”) with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value.  However, until passage of the RAY BAUM’S Act last year, the Truth in Caller ID Act did not extend to text messages or international calls.  If adopted at the FCC’s August Open Meeting, the Chairman’s proposed new rules would implement this legislation.

Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers , watch for details in our upcoming Briefing.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The Regulatory Mix Today: FCC Chairman Proposes New Rules Aimed to Ban Spoofed Texts and Foreign Robocalls, FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel Releases Podcast Episode with Senator Tina Smith, FCC Releases Working Paper on Broadband Access in Multi-Tenant Environments

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel Releases Podcast Episode with Senator Tina Smith

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel released an episode of her podcast, Broadband Conversations—the podcast dedicated to uplifting the voices of women from across the technology, innovation and media sectors.  United States Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Commissioner Rosenworcel for a conversation that included everything from broadband maps to her vision for the future of digital life.

“It was an honor to speak with Senator Smith about the challenges and opportunities she sees for internet access across Minnesota, from its rural farming communities to its big cities,” said Commissioner Rosenworcel. “As listeners will hear on the episode, making sure that every household has access to broadband starts with accurate data. On that score, the FCC has real work to do because its current broadband maps are woefully deficient. So, I’m thankful that Senator Smith and other members of Congress are working hard to improve the data that informs these maps because high-speed access is critical for everyone to have a fair shot at 21st century success.”

FCC Releases Working Paper on Broadband Access in Multi-Tenant Environments

The FCC’s Office of Economics and Analytics released a new paper titled “An Empirical Analysis of Broadband Access in Residential Multi-Tenant Environments.”  The Working Paper analyzes the effects of state mandatory access laws on the adoption of fixed terrestrial broadband services. These laws prohibit the owners of so-called Multi-Tenant Environments (MTEs), such as large apartment buildings or condominiums, from interfering with service providers’ efforts to install facilities or offer services to tenants and residents. The Working Paper concludes that the presence of a state mandatory access law is associated, on average, with an increase in the rates of broadband uptake for households living in MTEs. Empirical analysis in the paper suggests that this increase may be a result of a reduction in either the cost of supplying broadband in MTEs or an increase in consumer choice. 

____________________________

The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.