Next step taken in robocall process; Schmidt hopes rule comes soon

Attorneys General from throughout the United States are continuing to put pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to work through how to fix the problem of robocalls.

“We have been pushing for months, in fact, years now, to try to get the federal government to update and strengthen the rules related to call verification,” said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. “The key to cutting down the number of unwanted robocalls is to have a federally enforceable requirement, that goes beyond state boundaries that is going to result in Caller IDs more truthfully showing the number the call is coming from.”

This would allow for enforcement, if the calls actually come from the United States.

“Everything flows from that,” said Schmidt. “If we have accurate call verification, we know the real number the call’s coming from, then there are other technologies, other systems that can be used to stop the phone from ringing in the first place.”

This is a slow process.

“We’ve just filed the latest round of comments in the federal rulemaking process,” said Schmidt. “Our argument is, as it has been consistently, we need truth in caller verification. I’m hopeful, we’re getting close to the point that the feds will agree, will adopt the rule and we’ll actually be able to make some progress on the issue.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is a Kansas native. He grew up in Parsons.