Remarks of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn
Robocall Strike Force
August 19, 2016
It is 6:30 p.m. You are feeling pretty good this evening because, for a change, you are 
actually sitting down, enjoying a nice home-cooked meal with your family. All of a sudden, you 
are interrupted by a ring. You get up, answer the phone, and what do you hear on the other end? 
“Congratulations, you have been selected to receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas.” 
You promptly hang up, return to the table, but before you can sink a spoon into your favorite 
dessert, the phone rings again, and on the line is a recording which promises to reduce your 
mortgage payments. Not only has your dessert melted, but you feel powerless to do anything to 
stop these countless calls.
The Commission has heard loud and clear from you, and thousands like you, that 
consumers hate robocalls. During the first six months of 2016, Telephone Consumer Protection 
Act (TCPA) related issues, accounted for nearly half of the more than 175,000 tickets filed with 
the FCC’s consumer help center.
We know there is a problem. We know how much consumers dislike these calls. We 
know the public is frustrated, because they assumed that after they registered for the Do Not Call 
list, this would stop. It did not, so now it is time to take some real action. 
Last summer, the Commission took the first step, by adopting a proposal, that reiterated 
consumers’ rights to control the calls they receive on both their landline and wireless phones. 
The proposal gave providers the greenlight to implement robocall-blocking technologies and 
reassured consumers that they do in fact, have the right to say “stop.” This was followed by a 
series of letters sent last month by the Chairman, to major providers, urging them to provide 
consumers with free call-blocking services.
I applaud AT&T and others, not only for joining in today’s discussion, but for stepping 
up to the plate, enabling us to focus on real actions that will empower consumers with robust 
robocall-blocking solutions. 
But we want to ensure that these solutions, directly target the problem. The Commission 
has a long-history of prohibiting abusive or anticompetitive use of call-blocking technology, but 
consumers want real relief and I am optimistic that beginning with today’s conversation, we will 
be able to deliver to consumers the change they are clamoring for.
So thank you, Mr. Chairman for allowing me to share a few words, and thank you to each 
participant. The American people are counting on us to end this daily disruption.