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Every year or so, the FCC unveils a new plan to combat robocalls it claims will finally tackle the annoying menace. Granted, year after year, the problem either gets worse or stays relatively the same. We've already noted that this is generally due to few things: one, a steady erosion by the courts (and lobbyists) of what the FCC can or can't actually do when it comes to various annoyances like automated spam texts or live robocalls.

The other issue is that regulators and policymakers tend to frame the problem as one exclusive to scammers -- when a wide variety of telecoms, marketing, and debt collection companies use all the same dodgy tactics to annoy consumers they often know can't pay anyway. If you hadn't noticed, trying to craft rules that leave huge carve outs for "legitimate" companies while still hamstringing outright scammers generally doesn't work very well. You've also got to craft rules and systems that allow robocalls people want (medical and dental appointment reminders, for example).

Even when only talking about scam robocalls, there's still room for meaningful improvement. The steady adoption of SHAKEN/STIR authentication technology has helped crack down on phone number spoofing. Targeting "gateway providers," who act as a proxy here in the U.S. for robocalls originating overseas, could also help.

Meanwhile the FTC says it's also going to start filing lawsuits against voice over IP (VOIP) companies that fail to cooperate with investigations into illegal robocalls:

"Companies that receive FTC Civil Investigative Demands must promptly produce all required information,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “These demands are not voluntary. Companies that don’t respond fully, or don’t respond at all, will have to answer to a federal district court judge, as these cases demonstrate."

The agency receives upwards of two million consumer complaints about robocalls every nine months. The YouMail Robocall Index indicates that there are still 3.9 billion robocalls placed to U.S. consumers alone every single day, or 5.3 million robocalls per hour. And again, contrary to the narrative generally seeded by regulators, most U.S. robocallers aren't "scammers": they're cable companies, banks, and debt collectors.

And while a lot of the calls are companies calling about overdue bills, many of these calls cross a line into outright harassment. Many of these companies know the customers they're reaching out to can't pay; yet the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has repeatedly testified before Congress that these robocallers can sometimes call folks upwards of hundreds of times a day, even after being asked to stop. And they often use many of the same tactics used by outright scammers.

As with everything at the FTC, it's a matter of resources. The agency is tasked with tackling everything from bleach labeling to home heating system repair scams, generally with limited staff and funds. And while the FCC and FTC dole out a ton of fines against robocallers, the vast majority of them are simply never paid or collected. Either because the target company is a scammer that's hard to find, or they're a deep-pocketed corporation that can litigate any penalties for ignoring robocall rules into oblivion.

Again though, you'll notice focus remains on "illegal" robocalls, which is a problem when the courts and lobbyists keep weakening the definition of what constitutes a "legal" robocall and what regulators can do about it. The broader the definition and the more loopholes allowed to make sure large, "legitimate" companies can continue to annoy and harrass people, the easier they are for outright scam robocallers to exploit.

Lawmakers said that FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, who is stepping down March 31, did not provide adequate answers during their probe into how the agency responded to Boeing decisions that contributed to two deadly 737 Max crashes.

The extended Missouri Senate filibusters about congressional redistricting is a reminder about how bitter and divisive this issue can be. This year it has involved an historically long Senate filibuster, objections by women legislators about the tone of the debate, a tweet by the governor’s communications director that escalated the gender issue and repeated arguments […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: Missouri Congressional redistricting appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In a word, substantially.

Our city. Our schools. Our future. This city’s future is as bright or dark as the quality of its schools. When St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) was founded in the mid-19th century, it quickly rose to prominence as one of the finest school districts in the nation. This contributed to the economic and cultural boom […]

The post Our future: It’s time for St. Louis to get behind St. Louis Public Schools appeared first on NextSTL.

The Mercy health system said it is returning to pre-pandemic visitor policies for the hospitals in the St. Louis area for most patients. A spokeswoman for the hospital systems said visitors won't be screened when they enter Mercy facilities but will still be required to wear a medical-grade mask. Also, visitor restrictions will remain for Covid-positive patients. The spokeswoman said policies may differ based on the location, and visitors should check with the hospital or facility before they arrive. The…

The state is taking an average of 70 days to process typical applications — longer than the 45 days allowed by federal law.

Missouri's seven state-run veterans homes are so short on workers they are running at 50% capacity. Low pay, difficult work, and COVID issues are at the heart of the shortage. Meanwhile, many veterans are on a waiting list and the state is losing out on VA reimbursement money.

Robert Kuttner joins Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on Breaking Points to discuss the role of China in gumming up supply chains.

Congresswomen Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) are leading an effort to address “Long COVID” cases in the U.S.

Here's how St. Louis' largest nonprofits break down in terms of revenue, employees, budget and more.

A federal court found that an Arizona utility that crushed rooftop solar was not protected from antitrust laws.

ST. LOUIS - A procession is planned Friday for an officer who will be released from rehab after being injured in the line of duty. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer Delvion Mitchell was hit by a car on I-64 near Boyle on January 24. Supporters plan a procession around midday as he is released. Mitchell is one [...]

New UN report highlights how warming temperatures are upending nature's life cycles — with devastating impacts on agriculture and biodiversity.

ST. LOUIS - Friday morning has clear skies and temperatures in the teens. It will be quiet Friday with sunny skies and temps near 40. The St. Louis area will stay dry this weekend. Temperatures will be in the 30s Saturday and on Sunday high temps will be near 60. The area will see more [...]

O'FALLON, Mo. - A driver lost control on the ice late Thursday night in O'Fallon, Missouri and crashed into a house. That accident happened just before midnight on Westridge Drive. The driver hit a patch of ice and lost control. The car left a gaping hole in the house. The driver was okay. The homeowner [...]