“This agreement brings phone service providers on board as critical allies in our fight against illegal robocalls,” Yost said in a prepared statement Thursday. “By adopting these commonsense business practices, service providers will reinforce our ongoing efforts to crack down on this growing nuisance.”
>> Cyber attacks on Texas cities put other governments on guard
Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Frontier, CenturyLink, Comcast and other phone service providers will implement call-blocking technology at the network level at no cost to customers. They also will provide free call-blocking, labeling tools and technology to verify that calls are coming from a valid source.
Providers will also monitor networks for robocall traffic and assist state AGs with anti-robocall enforcement by knowing their customers so bad actors can be identified and investigated. They will also take action by notifying law enforcement and state AGs and assist in tracing robocalls.
Phone companies will work closely with the coalition of state AGs to ensure that robocall protection develops as technology and scams develop, Yost said in the statement.
About the Author