This is a follow-up for the story Laura Clawson posted last week: Republicans claim that spamming your voicemail is their First Amendment right.
Briefly, the issue is that telephone spammers want to call your phone, and make their pitch directly to your voicemail without the phone ringing. You will first become aware that you have been called when you discover you have voicemail. No option to hang up on the spammer when you first hear the robotic voice. The FCC has been petitioned to allow this practice by the GOP and telemarketing companies. And, one may reasonably assume, by criminals who would like to phish your bank and credit card information.
This is a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to act. Here is how to file a comment. It is quick and easy. Go to the FCC Express Filing page.
In the field for "Proceeding(s),” enter 02-278.
Your name, email, and address are required. Your comment will be public, so be careful what you disclose. My office email has an industrial strength spam filter, and I used that so I would not compromise my everyday email. It is really a good idea to have a spare email address for stuff like this.
Type your comment in the text box at the bottom. It is not necessary to mention ‘ringless voicemail,’ but won’t hurt. This is what I sent as a comment, and meant every word of it.
I am OPPOSED to allowing robocalls going direct to voicemail without a ring. They are annoying enough as it is. It takes a lot longer to check voicemail, and delete spam calls than it does to listen for three seconds and hang up. If this passes, I will remove voicemail from all my phones.
You have through the end of the day today (Friday, June 2, 2017) to post a comment to the FCC. After that, comments are closed.
I am not sure if the comment period closes at the end of business hours, or at midnight EDT. Don’t take any chances. If you comment, do it well before the end of the workday.