New FCC Proposal Makes it Hard For Spam Callers and Robocalls to Leave Voicemails

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wants to put a stop to "annoying and invasive" ringless voicemails.

This includes robocalls and spammers who leave messages directly on a victim's voicemail inbox.

Rosenworcel proposed that callers should obtain consent before they can leave the messages.

Many Americans can probably relate to waking up with multiple voicemails on their smartphones. Sometimes it's about the electricity or their service provider. But a majority of it is always about promos, vacations, discounts, and other spam content for advertising.

Rosenworcel wants to put an end to this annoying pattern.

She submitted a proposal on Wednesday, Feb. 2, about extending protections from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to cover ringless voicemails.

How to Stop Spam Callers and Ringless Voicemails

For reference, ringless voicemails are messages that appear directly in the voicemail inbox without the phone ringing.

The robocalling company All About the Message emphasized that these types of calls are not "phone calls" because they do not disturb the user.

However, Rosenworcel argued that "ringless voicemail can be annoying, invasive, and can lead to fraud like other robocalls - so it should face the same consumer protection rules."

She pointed out that these types of "spam messages" can get in the way of other messages.

Rosenworcel also said that "no one wants to wade through voicemail spam, or miss important messages because their mailbox is full. This FCC action would continue to empower consumers to choose which parties they give permission to contact them."

Note that these messages can also fill up the mailbox storage or could be exploited by malicious spammers.

To emphasize, whenever ringless voicemails spam in the inbox, they can be mistaken for important messages.

Also, be warned that some people might try to exploit it by using "urgent" approaches like a request for charity, a time-limited offer, or other such messages.

FCC Proposal Against Ringless Voicemails

Rosenworcel proposed that recipients should have control over unwanted messages.

She said, "this FCC action would continue to empower consumers to choose which parties they give permission to contact them."

Note that this could also help customers differential voicemails made by robocalls versus legitimate sources.

The chairwoman also said TCPA should set up new rules about telemarketing agencies.

These agencies should be required to create and abide by a "Do Not Call" list. They should also be barred from calling recipients between 9 PM to 8 AM, per The Verge.

Will FCC Approve New Proposal?

Unfortunately, the FCC did not say when it will hold a full commission vote about the proposal.

According to Engadget, their next open meeting is scheduled for Feb. 18, but the proposal for ringless voicemails was not on the list of agenda.

It is hard to determine whether or not this proposal would succeed. For now, users are recommended to wait for more updates.