WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT CHAIRMAN PAI’S LATEST EFFORT TO CRACK DOWN ON ROBOCALLS: CALL BLOCKING Widespread Support for FCC’s Declaratory Ruling Enabling Illegal and Unwanted Robocalls to be Blocked Before Reaching Consumers’ Phones Members of Congress Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH): “We applaud Chairman Pai and the FCC for acting today to provide new tools to stop unwanted robocalls.” (Walden and Latta Applaud FCC Action to Curb Unwanted Robocalls, Press Release, 6/6/19) Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS): “Thanks to @AjitPaiFCC & the @FCC for your leadership on providing carriers more freedom to block annoying and dangerous robocalls.” (Tweet, 6/8/19) Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM): “This ruling by the FCC is a green light to move forward with aggressively blocking these unwanted calls and scams.” (Tweet, 6/7/19) Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX): “Welcome news for anyone, including myself, who gets these robocalls. This is a good first step to ensuring Americans aren’t being harassed by unsolicited robocalls.” (Tweet, 6/9/19) Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI): “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel harassed by automated calls. We all want them to stop. This week’s ruling is a great first step…” (Tweet, 6/7/19) Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI): “I applaud FCC proposals to block the one billion unwanted robocalls Americans receive annually. In response to these outrageous intrusions of our privacy, the FCC is proposing to make it legal for phone companies to block unwanted calls and develop new call blocking tools. Yes!” (Tweet, 6/9/19) Rep. Billy Long (R-MO): “Some good news out of the @FCC today. We all despise those unwanted and annoying robocalls and this is a great first step towards combating them.” (Tweet, 6/6/19) Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS): “Great to see the @FCC taking steps to prevent unwanted and illegal robocalls.” (Tweet, 6/6/19) Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ): “Great step made by the FCC to fight against the robocalls we all receive daily.” (Tweet, 5/15/19) Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE): “Robocalls are not only irritating, but intrusive as well. I am glad the FCC is taking steps to fight them.” (Tweet, 5/15/19) Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA): “I applaud the @FCC and Chairman @AjitPaiFCC for taking action on this important issue. Americans are fed up with the flood of unwanted robocalls.” (Tweet, 6/7/19) State and Local Officials Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge: “Great news for all Arkansans who have ever been irritated by illegal robocalls and scam phone calls. Arkansas took legislative action, now the @FCC has listened to our concerns and wants phone providers to have the ability to block unwanted robocalls! #ARpx” (Tweet, 5/15/19) Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr: “One of the main complaints I hear from Georgians is about the increase in volume of robocalls. It has to stop, so I commend the efforts by both the FCC and the telecommunications industry to combat the scourge of illegal and abusive robocalls in the U.S.” (Tweet, 6/6/19) North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein: “North Carolinians are sick and tired of robocalls. I applaud the FCC for taking this action. I now call on the phone companies to integrate call blocking into their infrastructure. People deserve protection from these calls that are at best annoying and at worst scams.” (Attorney General Josh Stein Releases Statement In Response To FCC Robocall Vote, Press Release, 6/6/19) Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter: “This rule is a decisive response that will give consumers more peace of mind to allow them to more confidently answer the phone without the fear of having their personal information or money stolen. I commend Chairman Pai and the commission for putting consumers first and making this a top priority.” (Attorney General Hunter Commends FCC Chairman Pai, Commission for Passing Measure to Encourage Phone Companies to Block Robocalls, Press Release, 6/7/19) Broward County Consumer Protection: “Great step in the right direction! Yesterday @FCC passed a ruling that allows and encourages phone companies to block robocalls by default.” (Tweet, 6/7/19) California Association of Counties: “Some #goodnews for your Monday – @FCC votes to allow phone carriers to automatically enroll consumers in call-blocking programs in an effort to crack down on #scamcalls. Americans receive more than 5 billion #robocalls each month: https://bit.ly/2WzArvR h/t @anobleDC #tech.” (Tweet, 6/10/19) Other Experts and Voices Cass Sunstein: “A terrific, consumer-friendly, market-friendly idea from @AjitPaiFCC: ‘a declaratory ruling that would allow phone companies to implement strong call-blocking services as the default setting for their customers.’” (Tweet, 6/6/19) Institute for Education: “Talk about an area of #bipartisanship where we can ALL find #CommonGround - stop the robocalls! Thank you @AjitPaiFCC & @FCC - #StopRobocalls.” (Tweet, 6/6/19) Consumer Reports: “If your phone log has been taken over by robocalls, relief is on the way.” (Tweet, 6/7/19) Citizens Against Government Waste: “Americans receive more than 5 billion robocalls each month, and the @FCC just voted to stop more of them!” (Tweet, 6/7/19) Editorial Boards Daily Courier (Prescott, Arizona) Editorial Board: “The FCC vote could potentially be a powerful counter against unwanted calls. While call-blocking apps already exist, you have to turn them on or ask for them. Now, along with clarifying that both wireless and landline companies can block unwanted calls without asking customers first, the FCC said that wireless carriers are also allowed to block all callers who aren’t on a customer’s contact list.” (Editorial: Phone Companies Can Make Robocalls Go Away; Will They?, Daily Courier, 6/8/19) South Florida Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) Columnist Doreen Christensen: “This is great news for consumers. Hopefully, the ruling will finally give us all some relief over these incessant calls and scams.” (What Cell Carriers Plan To Do To Aggressively Block Robocalls After FCC Ruling, South Florida Sun Sentinel, 6/8/19) St Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Editorial Board: “Some in the business community are decrying the Federal Communications Commission’s recent decision to allow carriers to automatically block robocalls unless customers opt out, saying it will make it harder for them to hawk their services to people who haven’t indicated they’re interested in receiving a telephone sales pitch. Yes, it will make it harder—that’s the whole point. Similarly welcome is the regulatory agency’s related move to address ‘spoofing’—the practice by marketers of disguising their numbers to make it look like the calls are coming from local phones or from geographic areas the customers routinely call.” (Editorial: FCC Move Against Robocalls Is Way Overdue. Ending 'Spoofing' Should Be Next, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/11/19) The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) Editorial Board: “Telephone service providers have been trying to cope with these nuisances and threats for some time, with little success. Now a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission may make their job easier and leave us a little less harassed. … The way is clear for the big telephone companies to take significant action to help consumers. We urge them to do so quickly.” (Welcome News On Robocalls, The Post and Courier, 6/11/19) Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah) Editorial Board: “[T]his is an important first step toward providing relief to consumers, whether they still rely on landlines or use cell phones exclusively. It is a positive response to the urgings of 42 states, including Utah, that Washington take this problem seriously. We hope it means an eventual end to robocalls all together.” (Editorial: New FCC Rules For Robocalls Should Make Life A Little Quieter, Deseret News, 6/10/19) ### Office of Chairman Ajit Pai: (202) 418-1000 Twitter: @AjitPaiFCC www.fcc.gov/leadership/ajit-pai This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).