AT&T Will Introduce Automatic Blocking for Robocalls ‘over the Coming Months'

Dallas-based AT&T will soon become the first U.S. carrier to automatically block robocalls for millions of customers after an FCC ruling enabled the company to expand its efforts to fight back against spam callers.The company announced this week it will initiate the service automatically "over the coming months" and that customers will receive a text message notifying them it was activated. New AT&T customers will have the service initiated by default and can opt out.The wireless carrier is able to expand its Call Protect service because of a June FCC ruling stating that carriers can provide call blocking on an "opt-out" basis, the company said."The Commission's recent action builds on a years-long effort to enable broader adoption of call-blocking tools and allow providers to better protect their customers and networks," the company said in a statement. "AT&T remains committed to working with our government and industry partners in the ongoing battle against unwanted and illegal robocalls."Consumers receive "tens of billions" of pesky, illegal robocalls every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.AT&T wireless customers can already download the carrier's Call Protect app and voluntarily opt in to the fraud blocking feature. The app allows users to detect suspected spam calls, manage a list of blocked numbers and provides enhanced caller details.When AT&T enables the automatic blocking, customers will have to go into the app and opt out if they wish to deactivate the service.  Continue reading...