It's coming. What, you might ask? Leap day? Spring? A new iPhone (News - Alert)?
No, the “it” in this instance is a presidential election, and those that need to be wary (other than people who don't like politics or political campaigning) are voice-over IP (VoIP) call center providers, who will likely see an enormous jump in traffic leading up the election, thanks to political robo-calling.
According to a recent blog post on PowerNet Global's (News - Alert) website, VoIP call center providers including PowerNet Global have recently been warned about VoIP networks encountering a very high volume of calls during the run-up to elections, and the blame is being laid at the door of the practice of robo-calling: placing automated outbound calls, in this case, for the purpose of political campaigning. For those unfamiliar with robocalls, notes the blog, they are mainly used by VoIP call center providers and political campaigners (as well as survey companies and the healthcare industry to remind people of appointments.) Utility companies use them heavily as well to notify customers of information regarding service interruptions or power outages.
Robo-calling has proven to be effective for the healthcare industry and utility companies, and they are a favorite of political campaigns to distribute information or urge citizens to vote. They're not so much a favorite of ordinary Americans, however, nor the communications providers who have to deal with the spikes in volume.
The VoIP call center industry has been all the buzz, says the blog, due to recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) plans to approve tougher rules giving consumers additional protection against unwanted automated outbound calls to home phone lines. This could put a crimp in some politicians' favored method of campaigning. But for consumers, they may also lead to blessed silence on the home telephone.
Edited by Jamie Epstein