Mid-Rivers now blocking robocalls free of charge

Mid-Rivers Communications has added Robocall Blocking, a feature available with its landline telephone service, to all customers’ local service lines free of charge. The announcement follows a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote on June 6 to allow voice service providers to aggressively block unwanted robocalls before those calls reach consumers.

The FCC ruling allows voice service providers to block unwanted calls based on reasonable call analytics, and to apply these features as the default, as long as their customers are informed and have the opportunity to opt out of call blocking. Previously, the blocking services could only be offered on an “opt in” basis, meaning customers had to request the service.

“We worked with our industry organizations to help promote the idea of a default, opt-out system for robocall blocking,” stated Mid-Rivers General Manager/CEO Michael Candelaria. “Our Cooperative members have been asking for it, and now that it’s possible, giving them this feature to help prevent annoying and potentially dangerous robocalls is just the right thing to do.”

The new feature has been added by default to Mid-Rivers landlines effective July 12, 2019. Customers can opt out of the service by calling 1-800-452-2288, chatting online with a customer service representative at http://www.midrivers.com, or emailing customerservices@midrivers.coop. More information is available at https://www.midrivers.com/robocall-blocking.html.