Get a lot worse…just “ringless” — Robocalls could

FCC considering a petition to allow “ringless voicemail”.

I’ve written regarding robocalls a few times on Reglike. If your phone number is in Whois, you are probably bombarded by these annoying calls.

It could get a lot worse very soon, but instead of robocalls lighting up your ringer, they could go straight to your voicemail.

This so-called “ringless voicemail” is designed to go directly to your voicemail box instead of ringing your phone. Its legal status is in a gray area, but might not be for long.

A marketing firm that offers ringless voicemail technology to marketers has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to exempt these calls from anti-robocall rules.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has asked the FCC to approve the petition. The RNC uses ringless voicemail. (You might recall that politicians exempted themselves from Do Not Call list rules when they crafted them.)

Amazingly, the issue has turned into a political one.

Much like the CAN-SPAM act, still, this is an area where the biggest issue isn’t legitimate firms and groups following the rules. It’s the scammers who ignore them.

Here’s a way to block spam robocalls and texts from hitting your phone.