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AT&T CEO Says He Can't Deploy Robocall Blockers Without FCC Approval. He's Wrong (2016)
2 months ago
- AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson admits he hates robocalls and blocks them on his personal line, but claims his company cannot deploy robocall blockers for all customers without FCC approval.
- The FCC directly contradicts Stephenson, stating there are no legal obstacles to carriers offering robocall-blocking services and that the Chairman has repeatedly urged carriers to do so.
- Other providers like Time Warner Cable and Verizon have already integrated robocall blockers like Nomorobo without any FCC approval process, showing that such deployment is feasible.
- AT&T already offers a limited call-blocking landline service for $8.50/month, which blocks up to 10 numbers and anonymous callers, but this conflicts with its claim of needing perfect accuracy.
- AT&T's assertion that it cannot risk blocking legitimate calls is undermined by its own existing service and the use of whitelisting by other blockers to avoid blocking emergency calls.
from hookswitch to grave
2 months ago
- AT&T built a vertical monopoly through acquisitions like Western Electric, controlling telephone manufacturing and supply.
- Western Electric became the sole manufacturer of Bell System equipment, making everything from phones to cables.
- Telephones were leased and returned to Western Electric for refurbishment or disposal, with millions recycled annually.
- Nassau Smelting and Refining, acquired by Western Electric in 1931, recycled scrap metal from decommissioned telephone equipment.
- Nassau provided a significant portion of the Bell System's copper and lead, especially during wartime shortages.
- The plant caused pollution, leading to environmental cleanup under New York's Voluntary Cleanup Program after the Bell System's 1984 divestiture.
- The site was permanently capped with engineered barriers, restricting future use to commercial or industrial only.
AT&T loses key ruling in bid to stop offering basic phone service in California
2 months ago
- Federal judge Linda Lopez denied AT&T's request for a preliminary injunction, allowing California to enforce Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) rules requiring AT&T to offer basic phone service to new customers.
- AT&T sued California to end COLR obligations, arguing the rules are preempted by FCC orders, but the court ruled against its immediate injunction request.
- AT&T plans to stop offering basic phone service to new customers and discontinue service for 184,000 residential and 15,000 business customers by June 1, 2027.
- California is the only state out of 21 where AT&T still faces COLR obligations, which AT&T claims costs $1 billion annually to maintain an outdated copper network.
- AT&T wants to shut off copper lines used for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) but may not replace them with fiber, leaving customers to rely on cellular networks.

AT&T CEO Says He Can't Deploy Robocall Blockers Without FCC Approval. He's Wrong (2016)

from hookswitch to grave

AT&T loses key ruling in bid to stop offering basic phone service in California