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FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

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Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#51
post #17
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's this voice captcha you use?

Anveo Call Flow. Numbers not on a whitelist get a recording "press 1 to be connected" which repeats three times a couple seconds apart. If they don't press 1 they get sent to voice mail. I also have a blacklist that gets a captcha which says "press 1 to leave a voice mail" and hangs up if they don't.

On the one hand, that's so smart I can't believe it's not widely used by everyone.

On the other hand, if it was that common, there would be a market for systems that defeat it for the spammers.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#52
post #37

According to Ars they want to leave it up to the carriers if they want to charge for it, if that is accurate and the robocall problems escalate then you could end up paying for it by default ... or just get robocalls all day. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/ajit-pais-roboca... "It will cost $X a month for service, and $Y more if you want to be able to use it..." And as a revenue stream I worry this could…

The more I look at things as I age, the more I see market based solutions as only benefiting the supplier and always hurting the consumer.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#53
post #32

I'm curious why robocalls aren't protected by freedom of speech. This is the government censoring small businesses from doing direct marketing. I don't actually believe this argument, but I'm curious what self-described free speech absolutists think.

On the other hand, I'm compelled by law to part with my property to fund the FCC, because they must regulate shared communication resources for the common, public good.

If they can't stop intentionally deceptive businesses that spoof their identity on those shared resources from calling my elderly parents 3 times a day because of freedom of speech, they can go ahead and return a bunch of my property and let me do what I want with my ham radio.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#54
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd settle for non-spoofable CallerID

Yes, that would probably be a good thing. They seriously need to fix the problem of being able to listen to other people's voicemail by merely setting the caller id to the target's cell number and calling them.

Is that why I need to enter a passcode? I always thought that was stupid.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#55

tl;dr: Upload your contact lists to your service provider so that your service provider can block calls from people not in your contact list. If the blocking doesn't work completely from within my own device then it's going to be a no from me.

Can't you already do this from your own device? Android and iOS both let you block calls that aren't from people in your contacts.

I specifically purchased an app on my android device ("Call Blocker") to do this, but recently google changed it's play store policies and banned apps from directly forcing calls to voice mail. I think the only way to do it on an android device currently is to put your phone in "Do Not Disturb" mode and only allow calls from your contact list.

Edit: Just checked again on my phone. Even if you specifically tell do not disturb to only allow calls from your contact list they still pop up on the screen and they don't go straight to voicemail. Google seems to have outright banned any behavior that sends calls directly to voicemail without a notification. I'm on a pixel 3 with google fi.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#56

tl;dr: Upload your contact lists to your service provider so that your service provider can block calls from people not in your contact list. If the blocking doesn't work completely from within my own device then it's going to be a no from me.

1. Network contacts device with a request for synchronous voice communication, including identifying information from the originating party.

2. Device consults its own program, controlled by the subscriber-recipient, and responds with a signal to the network regarding the disposition of the call.

3. The network will then relay that signal to the originator, who may be required to respond one or more times before any human even knows someone is calling.

In short, I'd like the service providers to give me options other than "connect the call" and "send the call directly to voice mail and notify me anyway". I also want, at least, "refuse the call immediately without me knowing anything about it", "pay me a toll before I allow my phone to get my attention for you", and "prove you are the real person that you claim to be before I ring my phone on your behalf".

I'd like to be able to whitelist all my contacts so they ring immediately, and blacklist some numbers that will always get a fast busy signal every time they call my number. Ideally, there would also be some way to validate that the caller id number belongs to the call originator, perhaps by sending a nonce to the number claimed, and requiring that the originator repeat it in the current call session.

The provider can handle a simple program for land lines, dumb phones, or other phones that can't understand the newer protocol, but given that smartphones are pocket computers, I want to be able to control my own device without some third party stepping in and possibly selling me out.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#57
post #3

I've been getting this call[1] literally every month for about a year now. It goes straight to voicemail because their dialer can't get past my voice captcha. I tried blocking the caller id but they keep using a different last four numbers. I've now configured the call flow so that this entire exchange now has to pass the captcha to even get to voice mail. What I'm saying is, this proposal can't come soon enough. 1.…

For the captcha, do you have any proposal for what to do when the caller is legitimate but doesn't speak English?

If someone is legitimately calling me, they need to be able to speak English, or I need to take a few courses in a foreign language first

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#58
post #3

I've been getting this call[1] literally every month for about a year now. It goes straight to voicemail because their dialer can't get past my voice captcha. I tried blocking the caller id but they keep using a different last four numbers. I've now configured the call flow so that this entire exchange now has to pass the captcha to even get to voice mail. What I'm saying is, this proposal can't come soon enough. 1.…

For the captcha, do you have any proposal for what to do when the caller is legitimate but doesn't speak English?

I'd assume he's not expecting foreign callers

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#59
post #52
post #37

According to Ars they want to leave it up to the carriers if they want to charge for it, if that is accurate and the robocall problems escalate then you could end up paying for it by default ... or just get robocalls all day. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/ajit-pais-roboca... "It will cost $X a month for service, and $Y more if you want to be able to use it..." And as a revenue stream I worry this could…

The more I look at things as I age, the more I see market based solutions as only benefiting the supplier and always hurting the consumer.

It’s not really even a market-based solution unless there are blockers competing for your business.

Re: FCC Chairman Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny, because if they charged all those calls by the price they sell consumer services they would make a lot of money. But no It's the same thing with "USPS going bankrupt", charge commercial mail its actual cost (x10 what costs now) and see the money come in. You get subsidized cost if you actually buy a physical stamp and glue it to your letter

You think the letter carrying monopoly is reducing prices by 10x? Or are there subsidies I don't understand that you think are doing that?

https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm

See how much a stamp cost vs. "Commercial"/"Direct Mail" options

(though maybe 10x is an exaggeration)

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