cell phoneBismarck  (CSi)  North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem joined 38 other Attorneys General in a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to allow phone carriers to use existing call-blocking technology to better protect their customers from unwanted telemarketing and scam calls.

Call-blocking technologies, such as NoMoRobo, Call Control, and Telemarketing Guard, allow telephone carriers to identify and block unwelcome sales calls at their customers’ request. However, some phone carriers are reluctant to use this technology, in part because of the belief that federal law prevents them from blocking such calls on their customers’ behalf.

In their letter, the Attorneys General ask for a formal opinion on whether an exception can be made to allow companies to block illegal telemarketing calls at the request of a customer

More than 511,100 North Dakota (701) area code telephone numbers are already registered on the Do Not Call list. Both land lines and cellular telephone numbers can be registered on the list, by visiting https://www.donotcall.gov/ or calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222.

Consumers who are registered on the DNC list and receive an unwanted call on a (701) area code residential or cellular telephone number can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office at http://www.ag.nd.gov/nocall/Nocall.htm.