Rutledge Steps Up Fight Against Robocalls

Rutledge Steps Up Fight Against Robocalls

Attorney General: ‘ Arkansans are frustrated and have asked me to eliminate these unwanted and unlawful calls’

Arkansas Attorney General’s Office LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced that she is leading a bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general to expand on her efforts to put an end to unyielding and potentially harmful robocalls. Participating states have been reviewing available technology that is currently under consideration by major telecom companies to assist in combating these illegal robocalls. “As I travel across Arkansas, I consistently hear how Arkansans are troubled by the abusive and pesky robocalls by scammers,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Arkansans are frustrated and have asked me to eliminate these unwanted and unlawful calls, which commonly lead to people being scammed out of thousands of dollars. This coalition is another step in the right direction as we work with telecom companies to end these types of calls.”

Since it was formed, the multi-state group has had indepth meetings with several major telecom companies. These meetings have led to greater information sharing about the technological capabilities currently in existence or in development to fight these calls.

Attorney General Rutledge and her colleagues are working to:

• Develop a detailed understanding of what is technologically feasible to minimize unwanted robocalls and illegal telemarking

• Engage the major telecom companies to encourage them to expedite the best possible solutions for consumers • Determine whether states should make further recommendations to the FCC In addition to Arkansas, the group, led by Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont, also includes Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and

From Amanda Priest