Response to FCC Chairman Wheeler’s Open Letter to Stop Robocalls

First Orion today announced its support for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s Open Letter “Cutting off Robocalls” sent to CEOs of major wireless and wireline phone companies calling on them to offer call-blocking services to their customers as soon as possible.

First Orion currently provides major phone carriers, service providers and consumers with PrivacyStar, a one-stop service that identifies and blocks unwanted calls from robocallers and scammers for millions of customers every day. It also lets users file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directly when the calls occur. In fact, users of PrivacyStar-powered applications alone filed 31 percent of all call complaints, according to the recent FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Report.

“We agree with Chairman Wheeler’s aggressive position to carriers as our data shows over 30 million unwanted calls are made to mobile phones in the U.S. every day,” said Jonathan Sasse, CMO of First Orion. “This is only getting worse—quickly. The First Orion solution already blocks millions of unwanted calls a month and lets mobile carriers easily ensure their customers are protected from robocalls and scammers. We also offer a full suite of Call Management Services that many carriers utilize for their customers.”

Other features of the First Orion solution already provided by many mobile carriers include:

• Caller ID/YD – Real-time pop-up display of incoming caller details regarding who is calling and why, because getting the name isn’t always enough information to decide if you should answer a call
• Individual/Personal number blocking – Users can individually block numbers
• Enhanced Call Log – Puts all of your calls and texts in a single screen where you can easily identify any unknown number and why they called. Easily block or file a complaint against ANY number or caller
• Color Coded Threat Levels – Calls are associated with a color that lets the user know if the call is safe, suspect or a known offender using easy to understand green, yellow and red threat level indicators
• Complaint Filing – Allows the option for consumers to easily report abusive call behavior directly to the FTC from within the app and connects users with consumer advocates to fight back when call offenses occur