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INC. THIS MORNING
Robocall killers
Good morning,
You and I have at least one thing in common: We both hate robocallers and telemarketers.
The interruptions. The dishonesty. The way they make personal and business phone numbers almost useless. It's an enormous problem.
During July alone, Americans received 4.7 billion spam and robocalls. That's more than one per day for every phone line in the United States. And it costs U.S. businesses [hundreds of millions of dollars](. There are some ingenious -- [and, frankly, fun]( -- ways to fight them. [Lawmakers]( and phone manufacturers have been [working on solutions](.
And on Thursday, a team comprised of 12 of the biggest telecom companies along with every single one of the 51 U.S. state attorneys general (50 states plus Washington, D.C.) announced a new plan to fight back. Among the things they say they'll do, according to the [Wall Street Journal]( and [Washington Post](
- Give all U.S. mobile phone customers call-blocking technology at no charge.
- Roll out a system called STIR/SHAKEN that labels incoming calls for consumers as real or suspected spam.
- Work together to investigate and trace calls that are made illegally.
- Agree to identify commercial customers and cooperate with law enforcement.
"Robcalls are a scourge--at best, annoying, at worst, scamming people out of their hard-earned money," North Carolina attorney general Josh Stein said in a statement, ahead of the agreement. "By signing on to these principles, industry leaders are taking new steps to keep your phone from ringing with an unwanted call."
The timing hasn’t yet been specified, and it's hard to know how effective it will be. Telemarketers could just figure out a way to defeat STIR/SHAKEN, which would make robocalls appear as legitimate. But it's great to see the teamwork here: The telecom companies include Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, T-Mobile, Bandwidth, CenturyLink, Charter, Consolidated, Frontier, U.S. Cellular and Windstream, along with all 50 states (plus D.C.).
There’s one big problem with the plan, according to the Journal: Most robocalls and spam calls originate on the networks of smaller telecom companies, which haven't signed the agreement. If you try to run calls like this originating on Verizon, you'll be in trouble. But if you're on a no-name network that the state attorneys general haven't been working with, detection will be harder.
The big companies and prosecutors are aware of that. Their hope is that as larger telecom companies enter into contracts with smaller companies, they'll include cooperating with law enforcement as one of the terms. Meanwhile, Washington is in fact working on a tougher anti-robocalling bill. Different versions have passed both the House and Senate, but it hasn't made it out of Congress entirely yet.
So, here's to cooperation, ingenuity, and the hope that one day we'll all be able to answer our phones again. Until that day, [there's always Lenny](.
HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY:
On Thursday, [the founder and CEO Overstock.com resigned]( claiming the FBI asked him to pursue a relationship with an accused Russian spy. --CNN
This founder's struggles with copycats brought him to tears on Shark Tank--and [helped land him a $100,000 deal]( with Daymond John. --Inc.
[Yield curve inverts again]( stoking recession fears. --Markets Insider
On this week’s Inc. Uncensored podcast: [the bizarre origin stories]( of this year’s Inc. 5000 startups. --Inc.
Impossible Foods hasn’t shared its plans to go public yet. Investors across the world are still [already fighting to get in on the IPO](. --The Wall Street Journal
[From bootstrapped to gigantic exit]( Quest Nutrition just sold to the maker of Atkins Bars for $1 billion. --Inc.
New research says the Federal Communications Commission vastly overestimates [how many U.S. homes have broadband internet](. --Ars Technica
Here’s how [back-to-school shopping is different]( for 2019: more uniforms. --The Washington Post
Forget the best places to retire. A new study details [the most expensive states in which to die](. --Business Insider
--Bill Murphy Jr.
Contributing Editor, Inc.com
Story ideas and feedback actively solicited. Find me at [billmurphyjr@inc.com](mailto:billmurphyjr@inc.com?subject=), or on [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( and [Twitter](.
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