U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling on phone companies to install new technology that would block robocalls.
The Federal Communications Commission recently passed a measure allowing companies to do just that. The calls continue, despite laws that, in part, created the National Do-Not-Call Registry.
The count is a half-billion calls per year.
"If the phone companies fail to provide this service, they will become, in effect, enablers of the robocalls and that would be too bad for them," said Blumenthal, "but mostly it would be a shame for consumersm because they deserve to have these calls stopped."
The technology allows companies to block calls from known robocall numbers.
Annoying telemarketing calls are the No. 1 complaint to the FCC.
"Robocalls are big business. That’s because telemarketing fraud numbers as high as $40 billion a year," said Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.
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Blumenthal urges people to demand the service.
The United States Telecom Association says it also wants to stop the calls but that it’s not as easy as it seems.
