The Federal Communications Commission’s attempts to stop robocalls have failed to make a big dent in the problem, according to testimony at a Senate subcommittee hearing last month.

The Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), stated that the purpose of the October hearing was to examine how robocallers are evading enforcement, to consider the public and private efforts to combat illegal robocalls, unravel how new and evolving technologies are changing the landscape, and investigate what next steps are needed to protect Americans from fraudulent and illegal text messages and calls. The most damning testimony came from Margot Saunders, Senior Counsel of National Consumer Law Center.

Saunders testified, “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) has been trying to address the problems, but, to date, its methods have not succeeded in achieving a meaningful reduction in these unwanted and illegal calls. Either the FCC does not have sufficient legal tools to stop these unwanted and illegal calls, or it has not yet determined how to deploy those tools effectively.” Saunders went on to cite specific technology issues such as a lack of meaningful caller ID information used by scam callers to make it nearly impossible for consumers to determine the difference between scam calls, unwanted spam telemarketing calls, and legitimate calls. Many of these unwanted calls are spoofed to appear as if they are local.

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In the meantime, the APMax Call Screening service has been working effectively for years accomplishing what this most recent Senate hearing was complaining about. Despite government efforts, the nations most vulnerable citizens are continuing to be ripped off, like this elderly gentleman in Sioux Falls SD.