{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-robocall-strike-force-report-the-first-clear-sign-telecom-industry-taking-robocalls-seriously-more-work-and-oversight-needed-", "McCaskill: Robocall Strike Force Report the ‘first clear sign’ Telecom Industry Taking Robocalls Seriously, More Work & Oversight Needed", "2016-10-26", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill: Robocall Strike Force Report the \u2018first clear sign\u2019 Telecom Industry Taking Robocalls Seriously, More Work & Oversight Needed  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Report 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, October 26, 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 commended 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\n\u201cAfter years of inaction, today\u2019s report is the first clear sign that the industry is taking seriously the problem of unwanted robocalls plaguing consumers,\u201d said McCaskill, a senior member of Senate subcommittees on telecommunications and consumer protection. \u201cI\u2019m hopeful we\u2019ll begin to see short-term success in the form of new standards and better consumer education, but as the report makes clear\u2014carriers, regulators and all stakeholders have a lot more work to do to follow through on these promises. And congressional oversight will be critical to ensuring these recommendations are fully implemented in a timely manner and that consumers are effectively protected from fraudulent and unwanted robocalls.\u201d\r\nThis summer, McCaskill 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 has 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\nLast year, Missouri led a group of 44 state attorneys general in urging the five major phone companies to offer call-blocking technology to their customers, stating, \u201cEvery year, our offices are flooded with consumer complaints pleading for a solution to stop intrusive robocalls. Your companies are now poised to offer your customers the help they need. We urge you to act without delay.\u201d\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/mccaskill-robocall-strike-force-report-the-first-clear-sign-telecom-industry-taking-robocalls-seriously-more-work-and-oversight-needed-"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.3633139207959175, "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"}