What a dumb thing to do (Updated)
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve never seen any polling on this topic, but I’d bet these political robocalls rank right up there with some of the most annoying things people deal with every day…
The Federal Communications Commission is considering a request by a conservative group to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those with artificial intelligence-generated voices, before November’s midterm elections.
Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones unless the caller gets consent beforehand. The petition calls for a waiver that would allow political groups to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls.
The Republican-led FCC advanced the request for public comment and could rule on it as soon as late October.
Consumer advocacy groups warn the proposed change could trigger a surge of unwanted, partisan and potentially misleading automated calls in the critical final days of the election, which will determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
…Adding… Rep. Bob Morgan…
Your thoughts?
- Skokie Man - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:35 am:
Hi! This is Lisa from US Auto Care and the Lake County Republican Party…
WINNING MESSAGE.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:39 am:
Republican’t organization asking the tramp fcc to relax robocalls. It’s a done deal.
- Leatherneck - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:41 am:
Political robocalls need to be subject to the Do Not Call list–even though that database has the texture of Swiss cheese that so many loopholes have been put around it.
- Robert Montgomery - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:42 am:
No thank you.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:46 am:
Desperation is a stinky cologne.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:48 am:
Go ahead this should drive the republican vote even lower if possible. And if the Tepublicans keep house and Senate then they should just ban political polling altogether
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:48 am:
I’ve long felt Democrats don’t campaign nearly enough on consumer issues - the public clearly trusts them more than the GOP (the inverse of immigration) and it lends itself to many “you can feel it” ads. As for this move, I think it takes us one step closer to where everyone is switching their phones to “only contacts/whitelist gets through.”
- CapnCrunch - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:50 am:
Don’t answer the phone unless the caller is in your contacts.
- Irreverent - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 11:53 am:
This will almost certainly be spun as a consumer protection move by Carr, because things don’t have to make sense.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:14 pm:
I’m back to writing checks to keep my phone number away from campaigns. I’ve been deluged with spam from what feels like every candidate. Facepalm.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:16 pm:
As Capn Crunch suggests, don’t answer unless the call is in contacts.
If I should mistakenly answer a call, my default is switching to the few Croatian phrases that I know. Works every time.
- Fantasic Work - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:17 pm:
Hat tip to Bob Morgan. Always on the right side of these issues.
- Google is Your Friend - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:18 pm:
Not even political ones, but just over the most recent seven-day period (Sunday-Saturday), I averaged 4 spam/scam robocalls per day on my cell phone and that’s down from recent weeks. This proposal is a disaster in the making. There needs to be stronger enforcement of existing laws and easier opt-outs. It’s a nightmare.
- BigLou - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:19 pm:
Will the AI voices be allowed to impersonate famous people?
- levivotedforjudy - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:25 pm:
Oh please NO. I’m already being bombarded with texts about selling my real estate in places that I don’t own real estate in.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:26 pm:
===Don’t answer the phone===
That is not a solution. It’s only gonna get worse. Much worse.
Pull your head out of wherever it may be right now, please.
- Sox Fan - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:34 pm:
I’m ok with it if you include a provision that if I prove that I already voted (early voting or ia mail) that all communication with campaigns fully stops
- Jimmy H - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:38 pm:
Do Republicans not understand bludgeoning voters with more robocalls is not a winning strategy? Perhaps they should try actual policies people like.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 12:56 pm:
Sometimes you have to answer an unknown call, like your repairman is on the way but not in your phone, so let me remind everyone again. When you answer, do not say anything for a few seconds. Robocalls interpret that as an answering machine and will hang up. You’ll be surprised how much that works.
- Banish Misfortune - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 1:12 pm:
If this is allowed, there will be calls saying [candidate] you were going to vote for has just dropped out because [made up reason] and you should know, so vote for trusted whoever instead.
- Joseph M - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 1:15 pm:
I feel like it shouldn’t need to be said, but this would be an abysmal move by the FCC. I’ve been dealing with dozens of spam calls each week, and my biggest problem with the FCC is that they haven’t cracked down more on spam calls. It feels like they’ve been bribed and deliberately turn a blind eye to overseas scam call centers who spoof legitimate numbers.
Democrats would be wise to blast this everywhere. A platform of “more robocalls” would be even more unpopular than data centers.
- Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 1:19 pm:
Hi. This is Donald Trump. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you to talk about your nation’s extended warranty….
- localgovhero - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 1:35 pm:
God this is concerning. Imagine getting a call and being able to talk to the candidate (an ai version of course).
- Irreverent - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 1:39 pm:
Shut the website down. “Just Me 2″ won the comments forever.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 2:00 pm:
I’m already hitting unsubscribe and spam on emails and texts and calls I don’t need this extra nonsense.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 2:15 pm:
===Don’t answer the phone===
Those with iPhones Don’t, but you end up 10-20 unknown callers on your app, with about half leaving voice mails that you have to go through to make sure they aren’t important.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 2:27 pm:
Agree Just Me for the win….
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 2:54 pm:
=== Your thoughts? ===
I was pretty disappointed to see texts coming in from billionaire JB Pritzker asking me to donate SuperPAC or whatever. Especially entertained at how many different phone numbers have been by his political pet project and how many of them are from out of state area codes.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 2:56 pm:
I was just thinking this morning how I want to get more robocalls. What luck.
- CapnCrunch - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 3:47 pm:
-Those with iPhones Don’t,…-
A caller with information they want me to have will leave a message containing enough information to entice me to return the call. But you’re right. I do have to sort through the unanswered calls. FCC rules require prerecorded voice message to include the caller’s name at the beginning of the message. So it doesn’t take long.
- Casper the Ghost Bus - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 3:48 pm:
I predict that at some point in the future I will get a Bob Morgan robo call touting his efforts to crack down on robo calls.
- Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Oct 7, 26 @ 5:22 pm:
A smart politician would run on banning robocalls altogether. This is indeed monumentally dumb.