COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: The video in the player above is from a story published on May 10, 2021.
On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a combined effort with the attorneys general of more than 40 other states to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to speed up the process of ending robocalls.
The bipartisan group, which includes all 51 attorneys general, is asking the FCC to move up the deadline for smaller phone carriers to implement STIR-SHAKEN technology, which has been proved to restrict robocalls through a verification process.
“If the smaller providers weren’t a big part of the problem, maybe a little more time would be warranted,” Yost said. “But robust enforcement isn’t going to happen until the same rules apply to all of them.”
Larger phone companies were required by the FCC to begin using the STIR-SHAKEN technology by June 2021, but currently, smaller companies are not required to implement the technology until June of 2023, a date which Yost and other attorneys general say is too far away. The group is now asking the FCC to require the technology by June of 2022, or even sooner if possible.
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Yost, who previously created a "Just Don't Answer!" campaign to curb financial losses for Ohioans who fell victim to robocalls, says the implementation of the STIR-SHAKEN technology will save millions of Ohioans from future financial loss.
Ohioans can report unwanted robocalls to the Robocall Enforcement Unit by calling 1-800-282-0515 or visiting OhioProtects.org.
Editor's note: The video in the player above is from a story published on May 11, 2021.