On February 15, NENA praised an FCC action aimed at decreasing the incidence of telemarketing "robocalls." NENA Director of Government Affairs Trey Forgety thanked Commissioner Robert McDowell, in particular, for recognizing in his separate statement the need to examine the impact of telemarketing robocalls on Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), saying "It's really encouraging to public safety professionals to see the FCC take notice of this problem; robocalls to PSAPs are a serious distraction that endanger public safety and waste taxpayers' money."  

The rulemaking announced today would not allow PSAPs to stop informational, charity, or political calls, however. "This is a great first step, and we hope the FCC and Congress will follow it up with the changes needed to ensure that all telemarketing calls to PSAPs become a thing of the past," Forgety said.