Research Center Raises Concerns on Robocall Blocking Proposals

The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) raised concerns in response to comments filed on an FCC inquiry about whether the agency should extend certain robocall rules to all voice service providers (see 2309110060). “In reviewing the overall record in the proceeding, many Comments and Reply Comments stated mixed views about the effects of the FCC’s proposals if implemented with no changes in the current environment,” said a filing posted last week in docket 17-59. “In particular, most Commenters did not support making network-based call-blocking analytics mandatory and many expressed concerns or at the very least acknowledged that existing analytics’ erroneous blocking of legitimate, legal calls poses a serious unresolved problem for callers that is harmful to the public as well,” NORC said: “The record demonstrates a consensus from callers and even carriers themselves that making carrier-based call blocking mandatory under the current circumstances would be problematic.”