{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/following-mccaskill-push-atandt-to-become-first-carrier-to-offer-robocall-blocking-technology", "Following McCaskill Push, AT&T to Become First Carrier to Offer Robocall Blocking Technology", "2016-12-21", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Following McCaskill Push, AT&T to Become First Carrier to Offer Robocall Blocking Technology \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Move comes after Senator, who has led efforts to combat unwanted robocalls, repeatedly urged phone companies to show concrete results \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 21, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who has led the fight to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls, today applauded an announcement by AT&T that the telecom company will launch a service to help customers block robocalls, becoming the first carrier to offer this technology at McCaskill\u2019s urging.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s good to see the telecom industry taking seriously the problem of unwanted robocalls plaguing consumers by finally giving customers the tools to block them,\u201d said McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor. \u201cWhile I hope to see AT&T expand this service beyond wireless devices so that all of their customers can take full advantage, other carriers also would be wise to empower consumers with accessible technology to prevent these fraudulent and unwanted calls.\u201d\r\nThis fall, after recommendations from the \u201crobocall strike force\u201d of telecom companies convened to discuss solutions to keep unwanted or fraudulent robocalls from reaching consumers. McCaskill called on the companies to follow through on their recommendations to provide consumers the protection they expect and deserve.\r\nThis summer, McCaskill had called on the nation\u2019s top telecom companies \u2013 which for years promised results but delivered little \u2013 to outline the concrete steps they have taken and plan to take to protect consumers. McCaskill\u2019s letter followed a letter from FCC Chairman Wheeler urging companies to do more to implement robocall blocking technologies and report back within 30 days.\r\nThree years ago, McCaskill asked the top telecom trade associations to evaluate the feasibility of implementing technology to help filter out unwanted calls and protect America's most vulnerable consumers. The industry\u2019s responses indicated they would be hard at work to address the problem, including developing better technologies\u2014however little concrete action had been taken in the three years since.\r\nMcCaskill has introduced legislation, the Robocall and Call Spoofing Enforcement Improvements Act, to increase fines and penalties on robocall violators, streamline enforcement, expand the statute of limitations on violators, and enforce anti-spoofing provisions against violators outside the U.S. who target consumers inside the U.S. In addition, McCaskill\u2014an outspoken critic of a provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that rolled back consumer protections of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by allowing callers collecting federal debts to make robocalls\u2014supports legislation that would repeal this provision.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/consumers to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect consumers.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/following-mccaskill-push-atandt-to-become-first-carrier-to-offer-robocall-blocking-technology"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9204118978232145, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}