Forum Discussion

JP_Sports's avatar
JP_Sports
Contributor
6 years ago

Why isn’t Cox part of the group of telecom companies working to end robocalls?

It has been in the news the past few days that attorneys general from all 50 states and DC are working to combat robocalls with the new technology available and to offer free blocking features to all customers.  Included are Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Comcast, Frontier, and about a half dozen more providers.  One report specifically named Cox as not being part of the effort.  Why is this so?  We receive a boatload of spam and robocalls that waste our time and attempt to deceive people, yet Cox missed the boat in getting in on this effort.  For many of us, we keep the landline in order to receive a bundle discount, but either 90% of calls received are unsolicited junk, or people just unplug the phone but keep the line.  Nomorobo helps, but is more of a band-aid if anything.  It is only about 50 % effective, and is totally useless on spoofed neighborhood spam calls where the area code and exchange match.  Just feel like the only solution is to either unplug the line, or sink extra $$ into buying phones with built-in blocking technology. 

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    6 years ago
    combat robocalls with the new technology available

    I didn't hear anything about new technology.  All I heard was starting to trace calls.  With IP spoofing, VPN servers and US Gov't having no jurisdiction overseas with court orders, good luck with that.  Besides, would my AG need me to answer the call to trace it?  I'm not doing that.

    I don't receive calls from the same number twice.  It's always one-time local calls from VA, MD and DC.  Thousands of them.  Repeat offenders would be easy to block...but there are no more repeat numbers.  This "combat" will just be another Do Not Call Registry fiasco.

    • stinkfoot63's avatar
      stinkfoot63
      Contributor II
      6 years ago

      The problem has gotten to a scale where they had to pay lip service to doing something with the call rate being nearly 151 million calls daily- enabled by the collective refusal of service providers and government to furnish meaningful protections people have gotten well beyond fed up.

      It's not as though we're being taken very seriously though... take for instance advice nuggets offered from on high right here.  Post a discussion about spoofed number robocall scammers and the likelihood that the official advice would be to register with the DNC list and/or file a complaint.

      The history of non-meaningful response on all levels has me beyond skeptical that any changes in the landscape will be anything beyond cosmetic gestures designed to fool a gullible public that something is being done when those in a position to address the problem couldn't possibly care less.

  • stinkfoot63's avatar
    stinkfoot63
    Contributor II
    6 years ago

    To be fair, it isn't as though regulators and the FCC haven't gone through predictable and insulting charades, disingenuous head fakes toward doing something about it... the DNC list is a bit of evidence to that end- and we're still advised to register and report to it when illegitimate (mostly overseas) lawbreakers using spoofed numbers target us with phone harassment because we're supposed to just believe that furnishing bad information that has zero relationship with the actual offending party is going to do anything beyond placating us with a sense that something actually happened.

    Expect the placebo button to get an update and face lift.  Cox's lack of participation with such an "effort" holds little relevance... though they COULD do more if they actually gave a ***.  They don't because until something meaningful becomes mainstream they will have no reason to- it's not as though they really have to compete for customers for their core services- and telephone is NOT one of them.

    EDIT:

    Well, gee-gosh-shuckydarn... but even the mildest of epithets get trapped and sanitized to an inoffensive string of pain-in-the-asterisks

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      6 years ago

      Robo Calls:  Having a telephone is like having a front door:  if you've got one, people are allowed to knock on it.

      Scams:  It may be a scam, but you'd have to prove the actual intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongly obtain something of value.  Most people wouldn't answer an unfamiliar number or would hang-up from suspicion or wouldn't risk personal information to prove the actual intent.  No evidence...no case.  Until then, the call(s) are just a nuisance.

    • stinkfoot63's avatar
      stinkfoot63
      Contributor II
      6 years ago

      When Beelzebub lays in a supply of snow shovels and ice melt.