Outbound Predictive Dialer Featured Articles

While robocalling, or automated outbound telephone calling, attracts more and more public ire as well as the official disapproval of government entities like the FCC (News - Alert) and the FTC, nothing seems to stem the flow. Our phones ring regularly with alerts and sales pitches alike, the latter coming despite the fact that we might be on do-not-call lists, or that it’s illegal for a telemarketer to place a robocall to a mobile phone without the express written consent of a consumer.

To be fair, there are two kinds of robocalls: the useful and the criminal. The useful calls include notices of school cancellations or delays, bill payment reminders, prescription refill offers, appointment reminders and other communications that we may welcome for the sake of convenience. Then, of course, there is “Rachel from Card Services” (or some variation), a rampant and illegal robocalling scam that attempts to part consumers with their money. The latter types of calls are hard to stop: operators often spoof telephone numbers and the perpetrators are sometimes out of the country. If you wait to speak with a human, he or she will hang up if you ask on whose behalf they are calling.

We saw one technology solution last year in the form of Nomorobo, a free service that screens for unwanted robocalls. That solution was the winner in the Federal Trade Commission’s “robocalls challenge” that looked to crowd-sourcing to find a cure for the scourge of illegal robocalling. But as of today, it only works on VoIP phones.

One of the reasons illegal robocalls plague us so much is that not only are the perpetrators hard to find, when they are found, their fines are relatively light. In essence, making illegal robocalls is worth the risk.

At least one in Congress thinks that’s a problem and aims to change it: namely, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has introduced a piece of legislation he calls the “Quell Unnecessary, Intentional, and Encroaching Telephone Calls Act of 2014,” or QUIET Act of 2014. The law would impose a fine of up to $20,000 for breaking federal robocalling regulations, and repeat offenses would become a felony, with scam operators facing up to 10 years in jail.

"When I heard this I knew if the robo-callers weren't going to stop, I had to become the Robo Cop," Schumer told reporters on a conference call.

The current fine for illegal robocalling as well as other violations of federal telemarketing rules is $1,500. Schumer’s bill, if it passes, could provide a large disincentive for scam operators to continue doing business as usual. It remains to be seen, however, whether Schumer’s bill has enough to support to clear the hurdles it faces, including industry opposition.