It is now mandatory for mobile service providers to block certain robotext messages that are likely to be illegal, according to a slate of rules passed by America’s telecom regulator— Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It regulates interstate and international communications through cable, radio, television, satellite and wire in the US. The rules require blocking of text messages that appear to come from phone numbers that are unlikely to transmit text messages. It includes invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers, the press release added. Moreover, the FCC has also asked telcos to include numbers that have been identified by subscribers as never sending text messages, and the ones flagged by government agencies and other well-known entities. You can read the entire order here. Why it matters: This is the first time that the FCC has adopted regulations which address the problem of scam text messages sent to consumers. The US regulator noted that robotext complaints in the US rose from around 3,300 to 18,900 per year from 2015 to 2022. It is important to note these rules because the problem of scam texts remains pervasive across the world especially India. They may serve as a useful reference point for the Indian telecom regulator (TRAI) which is deliberating upon ways to address scam texts back home. What else did the rules stipulate: It is incumbent upon mobile wireless providers to establish a point of contact for text senders, or have providers require their aggregator partners or blocking contractors to establish such a point of…
